Truth in the Telling
by Dark Lynnette
Summary: Lacey Porter is at the top of the social pyramid at Green Grove High, but Danny Desai's return after a 5 year absence quickly shakes things up. Life for her will never be normal again. But maybe that's not such a bad thing. Mostly Lacey POV.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **First chapters follow the series timeline pretty closely, after that all bets are off. Creative liberties will be taken on the road to answers. If you wanna just start at say the chapter _Girls (and Boys) are Confusing_ I won't be mad at you.

**Truth in the Telling  
**

Prologue

* * *

_Dear Lacey,_

_I don't know if you've been reading my letters, but it looks like this will be the last one 'cause I'm getting out next week! _

_Mother says I'll be coming back to Green Grove for high school. I'm not super excited about that, the returning to Green Grove part, I mean, but I'll get to have a real high school experience. It could be good, right?  
_

_Anyway, I'm writing to let you know that __I'll be home on Friday. __I hope you get this in time and can be there to welcome me back. I hope. I really, really hope so. _

_I still think about you. I hope you still consider me your friend. Even after everything. _

_I can't wait to see you again. And Jo. I miss you._

_Your friend,_

_Danny_

.

I read the letter a fourth time before folding it and returning it to its envelope. I can't believe he's coming back here. If I were him, I'd try to make a fresh start on the opposite side of the world. Then I remember that Danny is stubborn and persistent when it suits him. It's been three years since I've responded to any of his letters and he's still writing to me as if I responded to the last one. And stupid me, I'm still reading them.

A cold unease creeps into my chest as my inhalations come quicker. I sit back on my bed and focus on slowing down my breathing, which just might help slow down my brain. My heart tap dances against my ribcage while my palms secrete a chilly dew.

I glance up and in the reflective surface I see a scared little girl staring at me with glistening brown eyes. I thought that girl was gone. I thought she disappeared about three years ago.

This isn't like me. I don't get nervous. I don't get scared. I'm calm, in control, and confident. Eleven-year-old Lacey Porter grew up five years ago, when …

I'm sixteen now. In some cultures I'm considered an adult. I _am_ an adult. I am a confident, tenacious, strong young woman and Danny Desai does _not_ factor into my future.

My past does not govern my future.

My breathing is slowly returning back to normal and I wipe my palms on the thighs of my black leggings.

"My past does not govern my future!" I whisper fiercely to my reflection. I pull my hair up and away from my face to further distinguish that scared little girl I was from the fierce woman I am.

Satisfied with the transformation, I stand and see the envelope where I left it at the edge of my bed. I quickly wipe my eyes before picking it up and placing it in the shoebox next to the other letters Danny has sent over the years. I close the shoe box, take a deep breath and shove it under my bed.

I smile and boldly repeat, "My past does not govern my future."

I almost believe the lie.


	2. Welcome Home, Danny!

**Chapter One**

**Welcome Home, Danny!**

* * *

"I still can't believe they let him back in. Fully reformed, my ass," I grumble to the hottest guy in Green Grove High. He also happens to be my boyfriend, Archie Yates.

"It's a cute ass," he chuckles and tries to grab said ass. I impede his pursuit and with a giggle, taking hold of his hand. He knows I'm not into heavy PDA in school or anywhere, for that matter. He smirks and pulls away from me. "Okay, I've gotta run. Mr. Kane is a lateness Nazi, but-" I tug him back to me and playfully offer him my cheek as a compromise. He smiles as he quickly gives it a peck. Little gestures like this make my stomach flip. I can't keep the huge grin off my face.

"See you at lunch," he calls as he strolls down the hallway. He almost runs into a stressed out creature with a huge mop of frizzy blond hair spilling out from under a maroon knit cap. My heart beat speeds up with I see that it's Jo Masterson, my childhood BFF. It's been, at minimum, a few weeks since I've set eyes on her at school and she's not looking too happy at the moment. She's gotten pretty good at blending into the background, but something is way off with her today, if Archie noticed her. I'm sure I can guess what.

I think, _Poor Jo_, and I'm secretly sad we're not friends anymore which, of course, is partially my fault. I'm strong and self-assured, but not enough to handle being an outcast as well as she does. Still, this self-imposed isolation is her choice. I really needed a strong support system that didn't constantly remind me of the worst day of my life and found that in Sarita and Regina. They were there for me after everything and have been amazing allies in the battlefield also known as high school.

I hear them commenting on Jo's lack of style or something equally inane as I try to block out thoughts of the inevitable event to come that will, in all likelihood, soon be etched into the history of my life.

"I can't believe you used to be such good friends with her, Lace. What did you two even talk about?" Sarita asks. I'm sure she doesn't care. If it doesn't immediately affect her life, it doesn't register in her world. But, then again, she never passes up an opportunity to put down another human being, especially a social pariah like Jo Masterson. Sometimes, she can be surprisingly clever about it.

"Yeah, like I even remember," I shrug.

I just want this day to be over. Regina and Sarita have already lost interest in the topic and start talking about the party Regina is throwing tonight. I sigh and glance back at Jo, our eyes meet for a second, but she's quickly distracted by a math problem or some nerd-thing in her binder. All the same, if there's anyone who'll understand how much I'm dreading today, it'll be her.

I hike up the book bag on my shoulder, wielding it like a shield, I soldier through the hall toward my former best friend.

"Hey," I start when I reach her. There might be a bit of trepidation in her eyes as she looks at me through her ratty hair. I've never done anything to hurt her, so maybe she's just anxious about seeing the freak again. I need to start using his name; the nicknames are getting tedious. "How you holding up?"

"Uh, okay. I guess." She stammers. She takes a breath and stands up a little taller, reminding me of the spunky eleven-year-old girl she used to be. "You?"

"I'm okay. I mean, my mom is pissing me off. Danny coming back is the perfect excuse for her to bulldoze her way back into my life, you know?" I realize she doesn't know and I'm saying more than I intended. There's an awkward pause, as I realize I've said his name out loud for the first time in as long as I can remember. Suddenly, I can't think of anything to say that doesn't circle back to Danny. I can't help myself when I ask, "Have you started having those dreams, again?"

"No. Not really," she lies.

"I have." I swallow. I'm transported to that day, five years ago, and I can almost see him in front of me. "He's always squeezing that yellow jump rope like it's a part of him or something-"

"Red," she interrupts. I snap out of the memory. "It was a red jump rope. I think," she tacks on as if the details are fuzzy in her remembrance. Our gazes meet and quickly find alternative focuses.

I take a breath and impulsively spurt out, "Look, I know you probably don't even care and it's not really your scene, but my friends and I are having a party tonight-"

She interrupts me again and I wonder why I'm still attempting to converse with her, especially when she insists on insulting me. I explain that the theme is essentially "Michael Meyers goes to our school now so let's blow off some steam," but I know I'm just going through the motions at this point and have given up trying to make it sound cooler than it is. Nevertheless, being the persistent over-achiever that I am, I repeat the off-hand invitation only to be promptly shut down with,

"It's not like I lie around wishing I can hang with you and your lame superficial friends anyway."

I cannot believe she said that. And here I am going out of my way to be nice. "Fine. Then don't come."

There is a collective gasp in the hallways and I feel the energy around us shift. I know the moment I've been anxious about since I got his most recent letter has finally come. All eyes turn to the main entrance. It's him. Danny is back.

It's as if someone draws back a curtain at the main entrance and shines a spotlight on an attractive man outfitted as a suburban emo punk. His hair has grown and I see that it's long enough to be pulled back into a low messy bun. If I didn't know him, I'd think her were a poser, but as the sea of students parts, it's clear that he exudes the energy of a bad ass that no one what's to touch. Everyone is waiting for some kind of fireworks to go off in the next few heartbeats. as

He seems lost and out of place, which makes me feel strangely sad for him. I swiftly squash that feeling and try to merge into the background next to Jo but can't take my eyes off of him. He hasn't noticed that a human tunnel has formed from where he wanders in the hallway to where Jo and I stand. He looks around for something, or rather someone. Fortunately, he doesn't see us right away. I'm suddenly not sure if even he knows what he hopes to find.

Danny suddenly makes eye contact and I realize I've been staring. I turn back to my corner with Jo and notice she was staring, too.

It's not every day your former best friend who happens to be a murderer walks back into your life and sets his sights on you. I feel like a rabbit must feel when a wolf comes sniffing at its hidey-hole. I wonder if the rabbit honestly thinks the wolf won't smell it. Jo and I pretend to be captivated by her homework even though neither of us can actually see the words on the page she's holding. My breathing speeds up and I can hear my heartbeat getting louder, faster. Everyone is staring at us. Any minute I know I'll faint. Wouldn't that be a headline for the school newspaper? Hell, it'd make the front page of the local news.

I whisper, "My past does not govern my future," and hold my breath as I feel him approach. I start to move behind Jo, who is almost a head shorter than me, but I'm suddenly that delusional rabbit. I think that maybe he's here for her and won't recognize me if I don't make eye contact.

Shit. I made eye contact.

"Boo!" He deadpans.

My heart stops.

He smiles.

I can breathe. My heart quickly starts up again.

I feel like I've been hoodwinked.

I've built him up to be this great, big, scary murderer and he's smiling at me? At us? How anticlimactic.

"I'm sorry. I was just joking. How are you guys?" He's still smiling.

Is he serious?

I really look at him, and can almost see the little boy I grew up with all those years ago. I stare at him. He stares at us. Awkward.

"Did you get my letters?" he asks hopefully.

Fortunately Principal Tang cuts this reunion short and asks Danny Desai—the murdering psychotic freak sociopath—to follow him to his office. I've never been more relieved than I am in this instant. I look at Jo and see she's thinking the same thing.


	3. Crazy, Lonely, Drunk

**AN: **Two more chapters till the shift away from what we think we know about Green Grove. Thanks for sticking it out with me.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Crazy, Lonely, Drunk... (not necessarily in that order)

* * *

_Dear Lacey,_

_I'm glad you and Jo are making new friends. Some of the guys here are friendly enough, but I wouldn't say they're my friends. Phoebe seems like a funny girl. I bet she and Jo keep you on your toes. _

_There's this guy here named Paul. He makes everybody laugh, even the guards. He got caught stealing the same car twice. Funny, huh? Anyway, he wants to go to school and be a comedian when he gets out. Did you know they have schools for comedians?_

_When I get out, I want to forget about this place. Maybe I'll move to Hawaii or Alaska or Australia. I think you'd like Australia. I've been reading a book about an Australian boy who journeys through the bush to become a man. I wonder if I could survive in the Australian bush. It can't be worse than here, right? _

_I gotta go so this can make it in the mail this week. I miss you guys. Tell Jo to keep you and Phoebe out of trouble. _

_Your friend,_

_Danny_

_ ._

_Will this day never end?_ After that awkward encounter earlier in the hallway, I don't understand why everyone is making such a big deal about Danny Desai's return. Regina is gushing about him again as if he were a long lost member of One Direction. Why can't everyone just ignore him like I plan to do?

Lunch in the cafeteria with my best friends was supposed to insert some much needed normalcy in this anything but normal day, but he's ruining it without even being present. He's ruining everything.

"Please tell me you don't actually wanna have sex with a killer?" I demand. I hate how much like my mother I sound.

I mean, seriously. Regina's acting like the freak gets cool points for having been to prison, yet at the same time dismisses his actions because, "Nothing really counts before you're thirteen, fourteen."

"Is she serious?" I ask Sarita. My eyes roll involuntarily.

"I took ballet when I was eleven. That doesn't make me a ballerina," she reasons.

"Are these words really coming out of your mouth, right now?" I really don't want to be here having this conversation. I know she'd be singing a different tune if she'd been next to me when Danny exited the scene of the crime that afternoon. I can't believe she doesn't grasping that I do _not_ want to talk about him or think about him in any way remotely related to what she'd like to do to him in a poorly lit, secluded space. Yuck.

Sarita, as always, has my back and attempts to shut Regina down with, "Chill, Lace, she's all talk," forgetting that Regina never backs down from a challenge.

"Excuse me?" Lunch is turning into a slut-shaming match between Regina and Sarita. I attempt to diffuse the escalating battle with a chuckle to remind them, Regina more than Sarita, that the conflict started out playfully and wasn't meant to become this serious. "It's not funny," is her response.

"It's kinda funny," I mutter under my breath and sip my nearly empty iced tea. I'm slurping the dredges in the cup when I notice my girls' focus has shifted to something taking place behind me. I glance over my shoulder to see the topic of discussion browsing the vending machines. I quickly turn away, hoping he won't notice me, but Regina has already decided to ignore my discomfort and is about to cast her hook into our resident psycho. Before I can prevent what I know is coming, she's already calling him over.

"Socio!" She smiles and waves him over. "Come over here."

I suddenly find my empty cup to be the most fascinating object in the room and can't take my eyes off it. My heart is doing that speed up and stop thing again and I have an unexpected sensation of falling. I can't lose it. I just can't. Not now.

"I'm not sure I should start responding to that nickname," he jokes as he approaches our table. I feel him lean over my left shoulder as I shift to my right letting my hair cover the half of my face closest to him. There's no doubt he doesn't know it's me sitting here. "Lacey." Dammit! "I've been looking for you." I cringe. The falling sensation intensifies.

I can't be here anymore. Regina stands and starts to engage the psycho in conversation. She asks me something and I mindlessly agree. I need air. I need to be somewhere with more air. Anywhere that's not here. I make my excuses, pack my things and walk away like a coward. What happened to me being in control?

He's ruining everything. Again.

* * *

I need to take the edge off and the music is loud enough to drown out the thoughts racing through my head. I sip my drink, a rum and lime soda, and wiggle seductively next to Sarita. I'm wearing a hot little black dress and really want to be dancing with Archie right now. Soccer is the most important thing in his life, and even though dancing and making out with him would go a long way towards helping me forget about everything else for a few hours, I completely support his decision to stay home and rest for the game tomorrow.

"Look what the crazy dragged in," I hear and look over my shoulder toward the front door.

I should be surprised, but I'm not. A convicted murderer has nothing to lose by attending a high school party and further alienating himself, right? Of course dragged Jo with him because there's no way I believe she accepted my invitation without prodding. I also don't buy that Jo doesn't care about the super lame, superficial social hierarchy as much as she insists.

Whatever. I'm going to have a great night tonight even if it kills me. Uh, poor word choice. I mean, I refuse to let these losers ruin my night. I shake my head swaying harder to the beat. I love this song!

One song later, my attention goes back to my ex-friends and I wonder what they're laughing about. I turn away quickly when Danny catches me staring and winks. I should be having more fun than this, dammit. What is he saying that's so hilarious? I feel a startling sense of relief when I glance up to see Regina pull Jo away from him. It's for her own good. He shouldn't even be here.

I need a refill.

I'm finishing up my second (and final) alcohol-laced beverage at the makeshift bar when I realize he-who-shall-not-be-thought-of is looming nearby. By nearby, I mean within my personal three-foot bubble. He says something that's supposed to be funny and I glare at him. I try to read his lips. Ever observant, I see that they're pink and puffy, which makes me giggle. I wonder if they're as soft as they look.

Luckily Sarita reminds me that she's standing right there by responding with a snappy comment, I think, and I'm instantly back in focus. I mean, everyone else is back in focus and my eyes are concentrating on the way the ice melts in the metal shaker on the counter. I'm finding so many fascinating objects in the world today.

I follow pieces of the conversation between Sarita and DeSocio and I'm glad they're being nice to each other. I look around to double check that no one is watching and am happy to see that we're as boring as rest of the world. I start to tell Sarita about my discovery when she walks away in a huff. What did I miss? He must have done something.

"I see you're winning over the student body one charming remark at a time. Great strategy." I'm pleased that I'm able to speak without slurring.

"Got you to say something to me," he snickers. Oh, my god, he's right. And he's much closer now than he was a second ago.

I shrug and retort, "Got Jo to follow you around like a puppy dog in under a day. Impressive."

He's mildly impressed. "Puppy dog? Wow. That's...That's harsh."

I want to wipe the smug look off his face, but merely say, "Didn't you hear? I'm a bitch now," and take a long sip of my rapidly disappearing drink instead of slapping him like I want. On second thought, —

Regina inserts herself between us just in time and I resign myself to glaring at him. "Told you she'd come around," she tells him. She barely glances at me as she continues, "Convo-ing with the socio…What would Archie think?" I roll my eyes, but before I can respond she's speaking again. The girl is on a roll and hardly takes a breath. "Lacey's boyfriend is captain of the soccer team. Grade-a stud-muffin. But you could so out-stud him. You know, in a hypothetical stud-off."

The little alcohol I have in my system is quickly dissipating along with my courage. Although I'm five nine and a half, I feel half my size when the murderer calmly asks, "He here?"

I shrink and meekly splutter, "Uh, no. He has a game tomorrow."

I watch as Regina practically throws herself to the freak and hear her whisper, "Socio versus soccer captain…"

I'm tired of hearing about Danny and I'm tired of that word. I said it offhand once and might have made a comment on twitter about it, but I never imagined it would stick for so long or that I would hate it so much. I casually mention, "Maybe it's time to give the whole 'socio' thing a rest."

Affronted, Regina turns to me, and stage whispers, "Hey, you started it."

I bite my lip, embarrassed. Danny's smile falters, but he recovers quickly, though the laughter in his eyes has dimmed.

Nevertheless, he sounds hurt when he says, "Socio? It's kind of catchy, actually." He smiles and I want to cry. I don't want to look at him, but I force myself to do it anyway. I'm proving that I'm the bitch I need to be. "Anyway, I should go before Jo starts having actual fun. It was nice to see you, Lacey." I shrug and he gives me that kicked puppy smile again. He finally leaves and Regina complains to me about being ditched. I have little sympathy for her the way she threw herself at him in front of me. So she tells me that I'm too "sensitive."

I'm the one who is suffering from PTSD and being forced to interact with the cause of that PTSD and I'm sensitive? I angrily toss back the rest of my drink and head into the crowd to find a body to dance with. Sometimes I feel like I need better friends.

I'm completely sober well before the night ends and mindlessly throwing myself into the rhythm of the aggressive music. There was just another incident involving Danny, of course, and I'm trying not to think about the way he grabbed Scott by the back of the neck then whispered something that made him immediately back down.

He just tugged Jo, drunk off her ass, out the front door and the music is barely playing at half the volume it was five minutes ago. I guess, there's little to no chance that I'll have any mindless fun at this point. I say my farewells to Regina and Sarita and grab my jacket on the way out. As I leave, I think maybe it wasn't his fault. This time.

I groan when the headlights of my mom's car brush over my ex-best friends shuffling down the street less than two blocks from Regina's house. Jo is weaving more than shuffling, but either way it's not good. I want to ignore them and drive by but I'm aware that the walk to Jo's house would take them at least another hour at this rate. I groan and decide that I'll go back to being a bitch tomorrow.

Decision made, I pull up next to them. "Thought so. They didn't teach you how to drive in prison, did they?" The idiots stare at me, like, well, idiots. "Just get in."

Jo whines, or cheers in a whiney voice, "Danny, it's Lacey! It's Lacey."

I'm regretting the offer already. She keeps reciting my name, then Danny's then both of our names. Will she just get in the damn car?

It's a quick drive to Jo's house, but takes another few minutes before Danny is able to escort giddy ass to the front door. I'm just happy I can't hear her saying our names anymore as if she just discovered two new species.

I jump as the passenger door shuts. Danny is now sitting in the passenger seat next to me. I swallow, thickly and start the engine. We should be at his house in a few minutes. I mentally cross my fingers in hopes that the ride is silent. I get my wish.


	4. Blue Ranch Memories

**Chapter Three**

Blue Ranch Memories

* * *

_Dear Lacey,_

_I can't believe you remembered! I got the card yesterday. The singing cats were a nice touch. Thanks! It really means a lot especially, since I haven't heard anything from my mother in weeks. Not that I expected to hear much from her, but you'd think she'd remember her own son's birthday, right? Well, it's an awesome card. And it's really nice to know that you don't hate me. Thanks for being such a good friend to me, Lacey._

_How's Jo? I still write to her, but haven't heard from her in three months. She's probably real busy with school, huh? I know how that can be. I'm even taking classes now, too. I got so caught up in a book the other day that I almost missed dinner. So, yeah, I get that sometimes you guys don't have time to write me back. It's totally okay._

_Fall Fest is next week, right? If you or Jo win the apple toss it would be so cool. I don't think a girl has ever won that. Do you? Anyway, if you see my mother there, let her know that I'm all right, okay? I don't want her to cry, so tell her I had a good birthday with a huge cake. _

_Your friend,_

_Danny_

_._

During the silent drive to Danny's I wonder about his life in juvenile detention. I wonder how truthful he was in his letters to Jo and me. They weren't that long, but it never seemed like his life there was all that terrible. It must have been though; otherwise it wouldn't be called detention. I'm pretty sure "awful" is synonymous with imprisonment in a detention center, right? But I guess he's had time to perfect the art of understatement. I wonder why he never told me about any of the bad stuff. Will he ever tell me? Did he tell Jo?

I pull up to Danny's house, the scene of the crime. Although I live relatively close by, I haven't seen the place in over three years. I'm immediately transported back to that day five years ago and find myself short of breath.

"Thanks," he murmurs. Instantly pulling me back in the car and breathing normally. I glance at him and see that he's shifted to face me. "You saved me an hour of tedious drunk walking." It's a blatant lie since he's clearly as sober as I am. Looks like he's also perfected hyperbole. I don't call him on it.

I look at the windshield and shrug, "Don't mention it." I quickly realize what I mean and make eye contact as I say, "Seriously. To anyone. Ever."

He nods. "Got it." Then proceeds to invite me inside with, "So, since all of this apparently never happened, do you want to come in, hang out?" I laugh and a moment later, realize he's serious when he says, "We haven't really gotten a chance to talk."

My bitch face takes over and responds, "You realize that's intentional, right?"

In a less serious tone he adds, "I have blue ranch potato chips," as if I haven't just shut down his earlier suggestion. Classic persistent Danny.

I try not to smile. I really do, but I can hardly contain it when he includes, "Sweet cheddar?" His baiting tactics are effective and curiosity gets the best of me.

The next thing I know Danny and I are in his room—which looks exactly the same—eating chips and reminiscing about our childhood BTI (Before The Incident). I actually laugh a couple of times, which prompts me to say, "You always knew how to make us laugh."

"I'm still the same kid, Lace. Just a little taller with cooler hair."

"I like your hair," I say without thinking. "I mean it fits your face." I'm shutting up now.

He brushes a lock of it behind his left ear and softly replies, "Thanks. It was actually a lot longer in juvie. Mother strongly suggested I get it cut before school started."

I'm enjoying his company and tell myself he's just BTI Danny in New Danny's body. I can almost forget about the past. "Cool," I lamely reply and busy myself by grabbing a handful of chips.

Unfortunately, the enjoyment doesn't last as long as I'd like. And this time it's my fault. "So what was it like? You never talked about the bad stuff. In your letters, I mean."

His eyes light up. "You read them? I wasn't sure you even got them after I didn't hear…" he trails off.

I feel guilty and uncomfortable, then upset that I feel guilty.

We've been avoiding the real questions all night and I want answers that only he can give me.

"I didn't want you to worry about me," he finally whispers.

"Well, you should have thought about that before you did what you did. You hurt somebody, Danny."

I watch as he absorbs my words. He's so still and pensive, I'm not sure how he'll respond. I resolve to wait him out.

Eventually he looks up and simply states, "I never meant to hurt you and Jo."

I can't let him off that easily. I'm looking for closure and he tells me something I already know. I want peace. I want truth. Surprisingly, I want him to understand how much I want my friend back. "You meant to hurt someone," I spit out angrily. I wait for an off-color witty remark. I get silence. He looks down. "Do you regret it?" I ask him.

Finally he looks at me and says with conviction, "The past is in the past." I'm only slightly disappointed because I understand what he means. "Do you want to know what I really regret?"

I swallow and will myself to keep eye contact. I want to know, but "Not if it's creepy," I softly reply.

He takes his time; gathers his thoughts. I wait, unconsciously leaning toward him.

"I regret not growing up with you and Jo. Ruining what we had." This time I'm disappointed with the unrevealing answer. "We had some fun, didn't we?" I reluctantly smile. Danny always knew when to turn up the charm, damn him. "I miss that, and I think you miss it, too." His warm breath caresses my cheek as he speaks and I wonder when we got so close to each other. His unwavering gaze holds mine and I have to focus to keep my breathing steady.

"I thought the past was in the past?" I say evasively and continue to look at him. He's so close that I notice his eyes are dilated. I can smell the blue ranch on his breath and a hint of a cinnamon. Maybe we're having a moment and, strangely, I'm not repulsed by it. I have a fleeting thought about what cinnamon, blue ranch and Danny would taste like together but an instant later, I know that I'm not ready to have any moments with Danny Desai! We're not even really friends again yet.

I reach across him and grab the bag of chips off the floor. "Quit hogging all the blue ranch!"

Moment shattered.

I proudly crunch on a potato chip and pretend I don't see the kicked puppy face he's trying to hide while hiding my own kicked puppy face.

* * *

Danny watched Lacey as she slept, clutching the bag of chips to her cheek as if she hadn't a care in the world. When he woke up this morning, if anyone had asked him how he expected the night to end, he never would have imagined the bliss of his current situation. Only in his best fantasies did he imagine Lacey and himself spending time together laughing and joking like they were kids again.

He smiled as he replayed the night in his head wondering how he got so lucky. He'd teased and taunted her all day at school, then, tonight, as she slowly started to open up to him, he'd realized he wanted more than to simply rekindle their friendship. Tonight he became aware that she wasn't his eleven-year-old best friend anymore. She was a woman. A beautiful, tempting, sexy woman.

Holy hell, even the way she drooled a bit as she slept was enticing. _What do I have to do to get you to trust me, again? _He wondered before gathering up a throw blanket and gently settling it over her still form.

He thought about the moment earlier today when he saw her and Jo for the first time in almost five years. A tension in his chest he hadn't realized existed, loosened when he saw his best friends standing together. They'd grown into beautiful young women. Lacey was well-loved, respected and popular. As friendly and cheerful as she'd been as a young girl, Danny never doubted she'd have tons of friends and popularity in high school.

Jo was a bit of a surprise, though. She'd settled herself on the fringes of high school society, drowning herself in academia and solitary activities. She pretended to be happy when it was obvious she wanted so much more. She deserved so much more. It was disheartening for Danny to learn that she and Lacey were no longer friends. And now he knew it was because of him. At least Jo had that awkward kid, Rico, to give her some sense of a teenage normalcy.

That afternoon, Danny decided to make a concerted effort to get Jo to expand her horizons a little more and stop merely existing in the background of her own life. He was also determined to get Lacey to loosen up and let herself have fun like she used to. Paradoxically, he also wanted her to see how much he had matured over the years so he could earn back her trust, and prove that he could still be a great friend to her. Even if he wanted to be more than that.

He'd take whatever he could get as long as he could stay in their lives.

His gaze was pulled from Lacey's sleeping form when his cell phone vibrated.


	5. While You Were Sleeping

**AN:** This chapter is a bit longer. Assume that anything alluded to in this story happened just like in the series unless described otherwise. I'm also taking some liberty with the timeline of events. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Four**

While You Were Sleeping

* * *

I never expected my first walk of shame to be under these circumstances. Feeling gross and more than a little confused, I hold my breath as the front door to my house softly clicks shut. I can't believe I ate most of that bag of chips or that I fell asleep in Danny "DeSocio" Desai's bedroom and _stayed _asleep until about twenty minutes ago. First of all, I'm thrilled he didn't murder me in my sleep. But I'm much less thrilled that it was the best night of sleep I've had in weeks. Shouldn't sleeping under the same roof as a convicted murderer be less restful? Wow, my day was off to a terrible beginning.

I slowly creep up the stairs and have almost made it to my room when I hear a voice sing, "Oooh! You didn't come home last night." My little sister, Clara, is peeking at me from her bedroom giggling like the immature adolescent she is.

"Shut it, numb nuts," I hiss. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for school instead of being a total creeper?"

"Shouldn't _you_ be getting ready for school instead of rushing home from a booty call?" she giggles. "What kind of role model are you?"

I glare at her and storm into my bedroom remembering just in time not to slam the door since I don't need Mom on my case this early in the morning. I quickly strip out of my dress and get ready for another fun filled day of high school. Thirty minutes later, I'm ready to leave when my mom barges into my room. "Lacey!" _Shit!_ How did she find out so quickly?

I open my mouth, ready to begin a preemptive defense by pointing out her unsanctioned entrance but instead bite my tongue when I see the distraught expression on her face.

"Mom?" She rushes in pulling me into her arms. What the hell is going on? I hesitantly return the embrace and over her shoulder see Clara standing in the doorway crying. "Mom? What's going on?" I can feel the tears forming in my eyes before I understand why. "Dad?"

She steps back, shaking her head. She doesn't release me as she pulls me towards my bed. I sit next to her. "No sweetie. Your father's ok." I nod, and struggle to keep my mom, sister and myself calm. Clara joins us on the bed. She takes my hand and cries into my shoulder. I feel useless and worried, but am quickly approaching panic mode. How do I make Clara and Mom feel better?

"It's gonna be ok," I reassure them even though I don't know what "it" is.

"I'm so sorry, Lacey," my mom cries.

"It's okay, Mom. It's gonna be ok," I repeat.

"She's dead," she blurts.

"What?" I think my mom just said-

"I'm so sorry. Regina is dead. I'm so, so sorry," she repeats quietly.

I jump off the bed and Clara grabs on to Mom. "What? When? I just saw her. She was fine last night at the party. She was being Regina." Mom cries harder. "How? I don't…What? Are you sure?" I stumble over more questions and can't make the idea of Regina being gone sink in.

I see a blurry version of Mom nod and her lips are moving, but I can't make out the words. I feel hot and cold at the same time and finally hear Mom scream, "Lacey!"

* * *

Phoebe was pissed.

Regina, her god-given high school nemesis, had died before acknowledging to the Green Grove High student body that she had lied about Phoebe ever having any sexually transmitted disease.

Phoebe was doubly pissed that she never got to bitch-slap the girl when she had the chance. Actually, she was triply pissed because Regina had deserved to be publically bitch-slapped no less than three times before she had died: Once because she knew Phoebe was crushing on Craig Bentley and moved in on him anyway; another wallop for the way the little bitch had smirked at her before dragging him behind the bleachers in the gym; and finally, once just because the hoochie had gotten to almost every hot guy in Green Grove, before anyone else even had a chance. And then she had to die before Phoebe had a chance to give her a single smack that would magically make her realize how much she missed having Phoebe in her life. Life was so unfair.

Yes, Phoebe was pissed. But Phoebe was also determined. She would use Regina's death to her advantage in returning to her beloved position in GGHS hierarchy.

She meticulously picked an outfit that expressed mourning, yet still flattered her waifish frame. She timed her arrival to school to coincide with the arrival of the morning news teams. She had a handkerchief in hand and used it sparingly throughout her tearful yet heartfelt interview. And she watched and waited for the perfect moment to express her condolences to Lacey Porter.

When Lacey didn't show up to the school by first period, Phoebe decided to call her house—to give a more personal touch—and check on her. When Judith Porter answered, she was proud of herself for thinking to ask if Lacey had someone picking up the homework from her teachers and offered to do so.

Later, when she saw Sarita and Scott during lunch, she purposefully sat at their table and told them what a terrible loss Regina's death was for Lacey and herself. In fact, she disclosed that after school, she would be talking to Lacey about the good times they'd shared with their dear departed friend. After all, Regina had been her friend first, so her loss was just as deep, if not deeper than Lacey's. Before Sarita could question her presence, Phoebe silently finished her meal and left.

Phoebe was definitely determined. She would be back on top of the pyramid in no time and Sarita would be the next to go tumbling down its sharp edges.

* * *

My head aches and there's a warm weight on my chest. I slowly move to discover I'm lying in bed with my little sister asleep on top of me. When did she get so heavy? The reason for my headache rushes back to me, and a sob escapes. Clara's eyes immediately pop open and the puffy redness around them is all I need to see to tell me that this isn't just a bad dream. Seeing Clara crying about Regina, who she didn't even like, is unsettling. I hug her.

"I'm sorry, Lacey."

"Me, too, Clare-Bear. Me, too." We stay like that for a long time.

She eventually asks, "Do you think it was Danny?"

I struggle to feign an indifferent tone. "Why do you ask?"

She sits up in the bed next to me. "Why do you think? Amber says it's all over the news. A killer comes back to Green Grove and someone is murdered just days later."

It hadn't even crossed my mind that Danny might have done this. What reason would he have? I'm almost positive he never left after I fell asleep last night, but I was dead to the world. Poor word choice. I mean I'm a heavy sleeper. He could have done anything between then and when I left this morning. Still, I can't tell anyone that. No one but Danny and I know that I was at his house last night. And I'm certainly not about to shout that from the rooftops. Mom would totally freak. Not to mention my friends.

"I don't know. I-"

I'm saved from answering when a gentle rap at the door interrupts us. Mom's head pokes through the opening. She speaks softly, "Girls, I called the schools to tell them you weren't going in today."

"Thanks, Mom," I reply and slide off the bed. I'm still fully dressed, boots included. "But I'm going. What time is it?"

"It's a little after nine. Are you sure, Lacey? You don't have to do anything today," she insists. "Phoebe said she'd pick up your homework. I know your teachers will understand." For a moment, I wonder, _Why does Phoebe want to help me after the way I treated her?_ I guess tragedy brings out the best in people.

"Do you know how it happened?" Maybe understanding that much will help it become more real.

Mom pushes the door all the way open and reluctantly enters. "They're saying she was beaten to death. The housekeeper found her this morning."

I sob and she's instantly there to catch me. "I can't believe this is happening," I cry. "Did they catch whoever did it?"

"Not yet. They're probably going to be picking up Danny Desai, though. It's a pretty strange coincidence that he comes back to town and another person is killed."

"Mom!" I'm surprised she just said that. "Do you really think Danny hurt Regina?" It dawns on me that the whole town will think he did this. And for a second I think that maybe they're right. Does anyone really know Danny Desai? A second later, I feel shame for prejudging his guilt before knowing all of the facts.

"I don't know, sweetheart. I'm sure the police will figure it all out." I let her pull me into her arms. "You know I love you, right?"

"Yes. I love you, too," I softly respond, quickly return the hug then wriggle out of her arms. I know if I stay around the house all day I'll drive myself insane thinking about the past and other things I'd rather not. "Okay. I'm going change out of this mess and go to my afternoon classes." I look away as she wipes the tears from her eyes.

Clara settles back into my bed. My first instinct is to kick her out of my room, but after a moment I realize I don't want to be alone right now. I let her stay.

"Be safe, okay, sweetie? You're still my little girl." She turns to Clara. "You're both my little girls."

"We know and I will, Mom," I reply as I head to bathroom to wash my face and get ready for school again.

* * *

I walk up to the high school with the purpose of checking on Sarita and Archie. They keep texting to see how I'm doing, so I want to let them know I'm ok, and I'm here for them if they need a shoulder to cry on. Not that they'll use it. I just need to see for myself how they're handling the news about Regina's murder and make sure Archie doesn't do anything stupid. I quickly realize everyone has been gathered for an announcement in the auditorium. I enter just in time to catch Jo embarrassing herself in front of the entire school as Danny Desai is escorted off campus by her dad. How embarrassing for both of them. It's a good thing they don't care about their reputations, I guess. Principal Tang resumes speaking as if the police hadn't just dragged out one of his students.

Jo sees me standing in the back of the auditorium and nods towards one of the exits. Does she really think I'm going to talk with her somewhere at school after the stunt she just pulled? Where people can see us? What do we even have to talk about? I shake my head and decline her silent proposition.

After finally spotting Archie sitting with Sarita in the middle of a crowd guys from the soccer team, I decide to wait for them at Archie's locker. I send him a text and exit.

I panic and almost scream bloody murder when someone grabs me by the arm once I'm out the door. I've forgotten all about Jo's gesture to meet her outside the auditorium. I see who it is and snarl, "What the hell, Jo!" My day is getting better and better.

"We've got to do something," she insists. I raise an eyebrow and cross my arms over my chest in reply. She's going to have to do much better than that. "I saw your face while I was talking."

I shrug. "That wasn't my agreement face. That was my 'what the hell is she thinking?' face."

"What if someone else had a reason to kill Regina? Wouldn't the day Danny got back be the perfect time to do it? He's the instant suspect. Come on, Lacey. Someone has to give him the benefit of the doubt."

"And that someone has to be you? No, us?" I shake my head. When did she jump aboard Team Danny? Until this week she refused to have any contact with him. Last I knew she burned all of his letters to her without ever opening them. Did they bond that much before the party last night? Then I think about what happened to Regina after the party.

"Who else is gonna do it?" she whispers.

I'm so confused and am not in the mood to be discussing this right now. I also don't want to cry in front of her. "I'm sure the police will figure it out without our interference. That's their job, right?" I state matter of fact. "And why are you pushing so hard to help Danny all of the sudden? Are you friends now?"

She shrugs noncommittally. "He doesn't have anyone else." Before I can refute that, Jo adds, "Mrs. Desai doesn't count."

"So you'll Veronica Mars the killer and get them to confess? How is that supposed to work, Jo?"

She mimics me and crosses her arms over her chest, thenpurses her lips as if she's about to spit on me. We're at an impasse. I roll my eyes and turn to leave when I hear, "I know about last night."

My eyebrows are almost in my hairline, but I force my face to go neutral before turning back to face her. Grabbing her arm I pull her deeper into the empty corridor. "Nothing happened," I whisper. "Please, don't tell anyone." I hate the desperation in my tone but hope it appeals to her all the same.

"I won't, because you have to tell everyone." I don't know how to respond, so I bite my lip to keep from saying anything I'll regret later. "If you say you were with him, people will believe you."

I check to make sure no one is listening. "I was asleep! I don't know what he did or didn't do last night. All I know is the best friend I ever had is dead." Dammit! I didn't mean it to come out that way. I know Jo wants to comment on Regina being 'the best friend I ever had,' but she refrains and apologizes for my loss. And she means it.

I want to trust her reasoning and I might have been able to if I didn't just flash back to that moment five years ago when Danny came out of his house holding a jump rope and begged us not to hate him. I really can't carry on this debate with Jo right now and remain objective. My thoughts are a mess.

"Why'd he do it before?" I demand. No answer. I don't want to think about that on top of Regina's death. Not today. So I settle it by saying, "Just trust the police, okay? Trust your dad. If Danny's innocent, they'll figure it out. And stop defending him. You're only making things worse for yourself here."

"You haven't changed. All you care about is what other people think of you."

I give her a humorless grin and know it doesn't meet my eyes. "I never said otherwise." I shouldn't have come to school today.

* * *

**AN:**

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Questions for the readers: **Do you prefer shorter chapters (1k or less), medium (1k-2k) or longer (2k or more) ones? I'm trying to keep each chapter around 1500 words. Is the current length satisfactory?


	6. You Never Know

**Chapter Five**

You Never Know

* * *

_Dear Lacey,_

_I hope you're ok. I really miss you guys. I miss your laughs. I miss your smiles. I miss your letters. I miss my mom and dad. I'm missing everything._

_I'm sorry. _

_Danny_

.

The town is still in an uproar over Regina Crane's murder and Danny hasn't been having an easy time of it. Everyone, including myself, is using this as an excuse to justify all the recent choices we're making.

Jo is using the madness as an excuse to wedge her way back into Danny's life. Which is a good thing. Really. I'm glad she's trying to be friends with him again. He could definitely use all the public support he can get. She can give him that. He needs her.

Even though I'm leaning towards the miniscule camp of people who don't think he murdered Regina, I can't bring myself to tell anyone. It's pretty easy right now because I'm cowardly avoiding the outside world. Mostly because I feel somewhat responsible for they way people are treating him. I still haven't told anyone about our sleepover. He says he hasn't said anything either and he won't. He only wants me to trust him. I'm not sure what to think about that.

Mom is using the pandemonium around town as another excuse to bully her way into my life. Last night she attended a town meeting at the school to discuss safety and complain–with the rest of Green Grove's parents–about anti-social behavior, underage drinking and the escalating violence in our town.

It was all just a smokescreen. They couldn't officially call the meeting, "Let's Talk about Danny Desai" and convince themselves they weren't using him as a convenient scapegoat. She even instituted an eleven o'clock curfew and promised "dire consequences" if I ignored it. It's not like I needed the curfew, anyway.

What have I been using the craziness as an excuse to do? Over the past two days, I've taken some time off from friends, and the chaos around town to do a little self-evaluating. Actually, I've been in hiding with only my dog, Daffy (Rottweiler-Boxer mix), for company. We have been looking at old photos and rereading Danny's letters. A lot. Really, I'm just trying to figure out what the hell is going on. After this self-imposed isolation, I still haven't come to any concrete conclusions and have zero plans for dealing with this situation unless they involve becoming a hermit or never leaving my house again. But realistically, neither is an option.

The letters haven't revealed any scary secrets about Danny, but I am noticing something interesting. He almost always sounds as if he's just away on vacation and not in some terrible place. If not for the return address on each of the letters I would never guess someone locked up in juvenile detention wrote them. Looking back I'm realizing he must have tried so hard to stay positive in his letters. He tried so hard to keep our friendship alive. I'm once more questioning what he omitted and why. Would someone who worked so hard to keep his friends from hating him kill one of their best friends as soon as he returned to a rekindle that friendship? This is making my head hurt.

This morning, I learned it was decided that the high school is taking on the responsibility of educating us students about the consequences of alcohol abuse and anti-social behavior. They've even announced a mandatory night assembly aka Sobriety Awareness Night and are requiring students to either create skits positively promoting awareness or write an essay. I think I'll skip the essay.

Do they really think this will help the killer grow a conscience? What's the point? What if the killer isn't in high school? Then he (or she) wouldn't even get the message that what they did has consequences and could have been prevented, right?

My mom and the rest of the parents act like the Sobriety Awareness Night next week will be pivotal in returning Green Grove back to normal. At least it keeps her out of my business for a few days while I continue getting nowhere with my introspection.

As I get ready for Regina's funeral service and the inevitable attention that will come along with being the best friend of a dead girl, I remind myself that I will survive this. Part of me still feels like that eleven-year-old girl that needs protection and reassurance, while the other part of me struggles to find the brave and strong survivor I've become these past three years.

Maybe it's time to redefine who I really am. I can't keep coasting through my life whispering to myself that my past doesn't govern my future, especially when I don't believe that half the time. I know it'll be harder than I think, but I need to break this habit of being who I think people expect me to be. It's chipping away at my essence. I don't want to keep being someone I couldn't stand to be friends with.

As of this moment, I'm taking charge of my present and the future will work itself out regardless of how much I do or don't worry.

As who I am collides with who I want to be, one thing becomes crystal clear: Life as I know it is about to change again.

* * *

Karen Desai saw that Danny was exhausted. Although, last night he'd slept for a full seven hours, he looked like he hadn't slept well in days. He pretended to read the newspaper as she watched him from the kitchen. When she entered the dining room he quickly donned his happy "I have no worries" face. Fighting her impulses to doubt him, she passively started questioning him about his time at the police station yesterday. She knew he was reluctant to add to her uncertainty of his innocence and did so by attempting to keep the conversation upbeat. But his avoidance of direct answers was irritating.

"Well, I'm glad you can make jokes," she told him sarcastically pouring herself a cup of coffee.

She didn't understand why he continued to refuse to use Lacey as his alibi. Last night, they had already talked about it at length and he refused to discuss it again this morning. Being his mother, Karen Desai wanted what was best for him even if he didn't know what that was. For this reason, she persisted in bringing it up as often as she possible, pointlessly hoping to change his mind.

"Mother, we've discussed this. I'm not using Lacey as an alibi." She hated the way he said "Mother" as if it left a nasty flavor on his tongue. Couldn't he see she was trying? She wanted to tell him what a difficult son she thought he was but knew he wouldn't take it very well. Or he would hold it against her for the rest of her life.

"She was with you the whole night."

"Yeah, and we were asleep. I'm not dragging her into this," insisted Danny for what seemed the hundredth time. Most of the time he seemed to be more the parent than she, but it was times like this that he reminded her just how young he was and what little life experience he really had.

"If the police find some way to pin this on you, you could go to jail for the rest of your life," she explained. "_Real_ jail this time."

Resigned to his situation, he lost his smile. "You think I don't know that?"

She was trying so hard to be the mother he needed, but he refused to let her support him. "I don't know what you're thinking. That's the problem. I want to help you figure this out," Karen responded helplessly.

"_I'm_ gonna figure this out. Jo's helping me." Hearing that was like a slap in the face. Karen snorted and sat back in her chair with a shake of her head.

"Jo's a sweet girl. It's the Mastersons that can't be trusted." She took a drink of her coffee to keep from saying more.

"Well, I get hating Chief Masterson, but what have you got against Tess?" Danny gave her his full attention, waiting for an answer she wasn't ever going to give.

"Nothing," Karen answered too quickly.

Of course, she knew that Danny didn't buy it, but he didn't press for her to elaborate. Instead he spoke of Jo's magnificence emphasizing the shortcomings of his own mother. "Jo has been pretty freaking forgiving, so she must have inherited it from someone." Karen shrugged in response. "Cheer up, Mother. Everyone may hate me now, but the police need real evidence to pin this on me. Evidence they clearly don't have."

Karen watched her son wondering if that evidence existed at all and whether or not she'd raised a psychopath. A moment later, she decided it didn't matter. She loved him. She'd protect her son from anything and anyone. No matter what.

* * *

There is a muted hum as I walk down the aisle to the podium. I ignore everyone watching me, and nod to Archie seated in the front pew. An oversized photograph of Regina is on an easel behind me. I take a moment to collect myself before touting the best qualities of a girl taken from the world much too soon.

At the end of the service, although I'm not standing near Mrs. Crane, people keep offering me their condolences. I clumsily accept with an inelegant smile. Jo and her parents even approach to tell me how sorry they are and how proud they were as I delivered the eulogy. Unfortunately, Chief Masterson also thinks Regina's funeral service is an appropriate time to remind me that he needs my statement from the night of the murder as soon as possible. I guess not returning his calls didn't clue him in on the fact that I've been avoiding him.

He also says, in his most patronizing police voice, "I'm sure I don't have to remind you, but Danny Desai is not someone that you should associate with right now. At least until we can piece together what happened. Which is why we need to gather these statements as fast as possible."

I nod in understanding. "I'll come in, but I won't be able to tell you anything useful." I ignore Jo's accusing eyes as I look for my mom in the crowd.

"You never know what might be useful," he replies and ushers Mrs. Masterson away.

Jo follows them, but not before adding a pointed, "Yeah, you never know."


	7. Blink of an Eye

**Author's Note:** Many thanks to you readers! It's encouraging that you're looking at (and hopefully reading) what I've written. I also appreciate your reviews and sharing your thoughts with me. Thanks again for that. The following is a bit of a departure from how events unfold in the show. I hope you enjoy Chapter Six of _Truth in the Telling_!

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Blink of an Eye

* * *

"He's a flirt," Rico exploded. "And you're falling for it!"

Jo stared at him as if he'd just sprouted an extra limb. "Who? What are you talking about, Rico?"

"No one. Forget it," he mumbled as Danny returned to the booth with two large slices of pie. He slid in next to Jo placing one plate in front of Rico and the other in front of himself. A moment later, Danny nudged his plate towards Jo. Rico frowned at the slice on the table settled between Danny and Jo. "So _now_ there's a text you forgot to mention? And this text was the only reason he brought you in, right?"

"Yeah, that's it," Danny dug into the slice of pie and moaned softly in pleasure. "I've missed this."

Rico grimaced and continued, "One booty-call text-"

"One disturbing booty-call text," Danny interjected, correcting him around a mouth full of pie filling and piecrust.

"God I hate when that happens," Jo joked before tearing off a forkful of the slice for herself.

"It's hard out there for a pimp," Rico deadpanned with a sigh. Blinking away the unexpected flash of jealousy, he lowered his eyes and focused on his own dessert.

"What else did he ask you?" Jo asked after swallowing her mouthful. Rico couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked in that instant and didn't notice the slight hesitation before Danny responded.

"Not much."

Mindlessly playing with his piece of pie, Rico pondered aloud, "Okay, in murder mystery parlance the text is known as a red herring."

Jo grumbled, "Yeah, a red herring my Dad's basing his entire case on."

Rico continued to think out loud, speaking to no one in particular as he ate, "Well, then it's a weak case. They have nothing unless they can connect Danny to the crime scene."

Danny set down his fork, sliding the rest of the half-eaten slice toward Jo. "You sure you want to do this, Rico? I mean, Jo is kinda stuck with me after her little speech to the whole school, but you could still avoid the hassle."

Without hesitation Rico asserted that he was helping Danny. "If Jo trusts you, I trust you." He then added in a serious manner, "Besides, I love solving mysteries," which made Danny smile.

"You're a good guy, Rico." It wasn't clear to him whether Danny was being sincere or not. Danny was Jo's oldest friend. Jo was also Rico's best friend. But Jo wasn't always the best judge of character. Following the path of least confrontation, he decided to take Danny's statement as a compliment.

For the next minute or so, Jo and Rico expounded on the thrill of solving a good mystery and the various fictional characters that did it best, until Jo brought the conversation back on topic.

"So if my dad's focused on this text, we need to figure out who else had a reason to hurt Regina."

"Okay. Well, Jessica Fletcher would start with the people closest to the victim," Rico stated matter of fact.

Jo ticked off Regina's closest friends on her fingers as Danny said, "Well, Archie's an ass."

Jo continued with, "Scott's a groping douche with impulse control problems. Sarita probably drowns kittens for fun."

"What about Lacey? I mean she's Regina's BFF, right?" Rico posed.

Danny immediately sat forward shaking his head, "Yeah, but Lacey wouldn't hurt anyone."

Jo sighed, glanced at Danny, then turned to Rico saying, "No stone unturned, right?"

Nodding Rico insisted, "J. Fletcher would totally agree with that."

Rico thought Danny was about to argue further for Lacey, but when he reluctantly gave a slight nod, Rico exhaled in relief. Even though he told Jo he trusted Danny because she trusted him, Rico was still afraid of him. He did kill someone, after all, even if it was only the one time.

* * *

Danny Desai is a disloyal, hateful, juvenile, phony, pathologically lying, big fat snitch. I can't believe he ratted me out to Chief Masterson after promising he wouldn't. Why did I ever think I could trust that charming little rat?

Sarita and Scott sit across from Archie and me listing reasons Danny Desai is probably Regina's killer. Unawares, Danny, Jo and Rico huddle in a booth in the back of JohnnyCakes less than twenty feet away. My friends haven't noticed them and I hope it stays that way, but I know how Murphy's Law works and won't hold my breath. Especially not in the vicinity of that fraud.

"He's done it before. They say once you get a taste for blood it's hard to stop," Scott contends. "And that night Danny said he'd kill me and enjoy it. Just like last time."

"Then why aren't _you_ dead instead of Regina?" I mutter under my breath.

I sit back in the booth, cross my arms over my chest and bite my lip. I know my anger at Danny for telling Chief Masterson I slept at his house the night Regina was killed is being displaced. I'm unfairly taking it out on my friends, but I just can't stop myself. He's the last person I want to be talking about right now and they're oblivious to my unvoiced needs. I miss Regina. She would have noticed me seething over here.

"That's kinda harsh, babe," Archie condescends rubbing my knee under the table.

I release a groan. "I didn't mean it like that. I just think that if he did it, the police would have arrested him by now, especially if he threatened to kill you."

"I told Chief Masterson. I'm sure they'll arrest him soon," Scott finished with an uncertain shrug. Sarita nodded in agreement.

"I told her, begged her not to throw herself at that psycho," she adds. "He probably killed her because that's how they deal with hearing 'No' in prison. I can't believe they let that freak out." She takes a bite of her pizza.

"Still think the creep is innocent?" Archie asks me. Sarita and Scott stare at me derisively. "What is it about him that makes you believe he's not responsible? He killed a woman when he was just a kid, Lace. You were there. He was crazy then and he's crazy now. It's just a matter of time before they prove it."

"I can't wait till they lock him up and throw away the key," Sarita adds with a smirk.

I'm disgusted that I see Archie's point yet I still want to give Danny the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was telling the truth about not having told Chief Masterson about me sleeping over. When we were kids he took promises seriously. Maybe he still does and it really was his mom. I uncross my arms and sit up again. Does it matter?

"I guess you're right," I say unenthusiastically. "Can we talk about something else? Anything else?"

"Let's get another pizza!" We can always count on Scott to take a suggestion to heart. I wish he would suggest we get out of here.

Of course that's when Rico starts choking on something, and Danny jumps up patting his back to help dislodge it. Everyone at my booth turns toward the back of the diner at the same time and I see Archie's face swiftly wash out, then flush a dark shade of red even faster. Shit!

* * *

Tess Masterson slammed down the kitchen phone. How had he gotten this number? She took a few deep breaths to steady herself as she replayed the caller's parting words in her mind. "You don't want to piss me off, Tess."

She'd done everything he'd asked of her over the years, yet she was still being haunted by a thoughtless deed enacted in her youth. Had she known nineteen years ago what she knew now, she never would have gotten high with Vikram Desai during that party. She used to laugh when she recalled how invincible they'd thought they were, but she was not laughing now. Who knew that one stupid decision could become a series of stupid decisions that would follow her for the rest of her life?

Tess shook out the tension in her shoulders and picked up her cell phone from the table in the hallway. She sent a short text to her husband, Kyle, letting him know that she wouldn't be home for dinner. She then angrily tossed the phone into her purse, grabbed her jacket from the closet, and rushed out the front door. She needed to make it to the bank before it closed, and didn't want to chance not having what she needed on hand for her appointment later that night.

As she started the car she released another exasperated sigh, "Coulda, shoulda, woulda." She pulled out of her driveway and started on her journey. Hindsight being twenty-twenty, she thought, _If only I'd known then what I know now. _

* * *

I blink a couple of times, trying to come back to reality. Jo and I are standing between Danny and Archie—I'm closer to Archie and Jo is closer to Danny—and a couple of the other JohnnyCakes diners have gathered around us. Rico shields himself behind Danny. The manager will be out any second.

I see the charming smile he uses on most people already pulling at the corners of Danny's mouth, but I'm still upset with him and it's not going to work on me this time. Because he felt the need to rush over to their little group with a poorly planned pretense of rescuing Rico, my anger at Archie is also growing. Archie doesn't even know the name who he's not rescuing. Neither of them hears me when I tell them to cut it out.

"DePsycho, is not gonna killed the nerd in front of all these witness, Archie," Sarita says. I give up and shift to stand next my fed up friend. "Are we getting another pizza or what? If not, I'm gonna go home, where there aren't any psychos roaming free."

"Nobody wants you here, freak!" Archie sneers, ignoring Sarita.

"That's up for debate, Arch. Right, Lacey?" Danny goads.

Danny's hazel eyes find mine and I'm a deer caught in headlights. As we silently converse, in my periphery I see Archie's furious gaze and moving lips. I know he's talking to me, but the sound of my heart beating drowns most of the other noises out and I only hear pieces of what he's saying to me. Damn Danny for pulling my focus with one stupid, stupid look.

"You're kidding yourself if you think she's on your side…You're a freak, Desai. You freak people out… Lacey's not your friend, so…Tell him, Lace. Tell him how…" I blink and when I slowly open my eyes I see Danny sporting what's becoming his signature smirk.

I hate that smirk.

Wait. When did the talking stop? Why is everyone looking at me?

Archie turns my chin to face him and scowls, "Did you hear a word I just said?"

This is the perfect chance for me to be a better Lacey. I can break the habit of my old self right now. I just have to … "Yeah. Of course I did. Every word." Ugh! I'll do better next time.

He frowns at me doubtfully with a half-raised eyebrow. He looks a bit silly because he can't lift just one eyebrow at a time. I stifle a smile and dig my hole a little deeper. "I was choosing my words carefully before I answered," I lie. I'm pretty sure I had heard most of what Archie said, but I'm not sure if the question was open ended or not. Actually, I don't have a clue what the question was. Was there a question?

The scowl turns into a skeptical look, eyebrows now relaxed, and Archie releases my face, putting a possessive hand on the small of my back. "And?" I remember thinking about Murphy's Law earlier and close my eyes.

When I open them, I can't help but glance at Danny, behind Archie, watching us. He looks like he's about to physically intervene, so I shake my head slightly. A hesitant, almost unsure expression crosses Danny's face before he once again schools his features. I blink a couple of times refocusing on Archie.

"I think you're right, Archie," I say and sound much more confident than I feel. I'll be Better Lacey tomorrow. Really. Right now I'm supposed to be mad at Danny. Mad Lacey sides with anyone _except_ Danny. "We need to go. You don't want to be banned from JohnnyCakes for fighting, right?"

I hear Danny chuckle, Jo huff and someone gasp. I think it's Rico.

Now, I'm angry with Danny (for real again), Archie and myself.

At least I can get away from two of them.

"Dude, let's get out of here," Scott reminds us that he's with us. "I've lost my appetite anyway," he throws in Danny's direction and warily backs out of the diner. Sarita follows.

"Yeah," Archie grabs my wrist and scoffs at the trio. "I don't know how you two can stand to be near someone like him. We're outta here." Archie pulls me behind him and although I pull my wrist free, I follow without a backward glance. I can't look back because I don't know if I'll still be able to leave with confidence if I do.

* * *

Rico was super grateful that that group was out of the dinner and going far away from him. That encounter was ultra scary. He was relieved that Lacey was able to get those jocks to leave before Danny hurt them. But then he remembered that she was Lacey Porter and everyone bowed down to her. Even some of the seniors. Even Danny Desai.

He saw the way Danny reacted when Lacey looked at him. He had retracted his fangs like a kitten retracted its claws once it realized a more ferocious creature was present. Rico was also confused by the way Lacey reacted when Danny looked at her even though her boyfriend was talking to her, like loudly, like right in her face. He even turned her face so she could see that he was talking to her, but she still practically ignored him. Instead she kept watching Danny from the side of her eye. It was totally weird. Mostly because she wasn't watching Danny like she was afraid he would hurt her. She was watching him like she was afraid _she_ would hurt _him_. Yeah, the whole thing was really strange. Rico was extra glad she never looked his way.

"Rico? Dude? Are you okay?" Danny asked, snapping Rico's gaze from the door. "You're not gonna choke again, are you?"

"Yeah. Sure. I'm good. Great even. That was intense. Good thing you were here to slap me on the back instead of doing the more appropriate and less lethal heimlich maneuver. Thanks, pal."

"You're welcome. I think," Danny's brow furrowed as he returned to his side of the booth. Jo was now sitting on Rico's side waiting for Rico to join them. He slid in next to her with a smile.

"So… What's the plan? How do we get close enough to those crazy kids and get some real information?" Rico asked. "I don't see them making it easy for us after that fiasco."

Jo and Danny chuckled and in the blink of an eye everything was back to normal. Rico liked normal.


	8. Welcome to the Jungle

**Chapter Seven**

Welcome to the Jungle

* * *

Sitting in my usual spot–which I think of as my throne –in the sophomore lounge, I'm provided the perfect vantage point. From my perch, I can see everything: the entrance, vending machines, dining area and a portion of the hallway just beyond the side entrance. The thought makes me feel safe and untouchable. I'm an eagle taking in the vastness of my untamed valley.

Ruining that powerful feeling of control, Danny suddenly appears at the entrance and immediately heads towards me. I've already explained to him that I can't be seen talking to him at school and it was highly unlikely that I'd ever talk to him outside of school, so he better not be thinking about speaking to me _here_ of all places. Archie is meeting me any second and after last night's diner clash Danny's presence in the same room will instantly raise his hackles.

I pointedly turn my head and pretend to check out a random flyer on the column beside me. He continues past me—without missing a beat—to join Jo who, unsurprisingly, has her nose in a book at a nearby table. He then makes a production of sitting with her, loudly confirming whether or not he is welcome at her table. Like anyone cares who he sits with. And it's not like she'll tell anyone they can't sit there if they ask.

I refuse to be goaded into responding to his antics and realize the flyer I'm staring at is about an upcoming grief session. I'm glad they haven't assumed everyone is handling the death of a student as if it's just something to never speak of and forget. I pull out my phone to input the information, but am distracted from the task by my boyfriend's arrival.

Unprovoked, he makes a beeline to Jo and Danny, stops in front of their table and loudly says, "Don't worry, Jo. Your killer boytoy here will get conjugal visits once he's back in prison."

Yes. That is my boyfriend. Can he be any more crass? Sometimes he forgets that people take their cues from us and behavior like what he's just displayed only encourages prejudice and more bullying. He finally joins me at my perch obviously expecting a kiss. I shake my head at him disappointed.

"And when you get there, maybe we can be roomies," Danny barks in response.

I groan because I'm positive that Archie won't let that pass. Before he can turn to respond, Danny jokingly adds, "I call top bunk."

"What'd you say?" Damn. I start to gather my books and prepare to pull Archie away from what could easily turn into a knockdown brawl. I see Jo trying to keep Danny calm on their side of the room. There are no adults in sight.

Suddenly, Danny's on his feet and he's not joking anymore. I tug at Archie's sleeve. Maybe he'll let it go. _Please let it go, Arch_, I silently plea.

"Why would_ I_ end up there?"

Danny is slowly stalking Archie. They were able to walk away from a fight at the diner so maybe they're mature enough to keep this on a verbal level. I turn away, hoping that maybe if I can't see it, whatever happens won't be so bad. That doesn't prevent me from seeing the excited expressions on the faces of our peers. They're eagerly hoping for the confrontation to escalate.

I take a peek over my shoulder to see Danny take a step towards Archie proudly hitting nerves with his words. "Come on, pal. We all know this story. Popular jock, right? You peak early. You lose your hair." I'm now on my feet tugging at Archie's wrist this time. He ignores me when another nerve is poked. "You get a beer gut and you become a drunk. Either you're going to prison or you're pumping gas for the rest of your life."

Archie's cousin works at the gas station on Lexington and most of the town pity him. Not because he pumps gas, but because he gave up an athletic scholarship to State when he graduated two years ago. Instead of leaving Green Grove in the rearview, he's struggling to support twins with the girl he got pregnant senior year but never married. Archie doesn't say it, but everyone knows he's afraid of following in his footsteps.

"Archie," I prod, squeezing his wrist. He quickly shakes me off and pounces. Danny is thrown back onto a table, startling and exciting the pack of feral teens wildly filling the room.

When Archie looks at me he's slightly apologetic, but that instantly fades when he turns to Danny saying, "You don't know me."

"You don't know me either." Danny is back in Archie's face, all semblance of playfulness gone.

Why can't guys just admit when they're wrong and back the hell down? I don't need this shit. I decide it's time for me to leave when I see Archie give Danny his "you're going to be sorry in a minute" look, but before I can blink he takes a swing. And misses by a lot. Danny ducks hitting him with an uppercut to the solar plexus.

I see the flash of surprise on Danny's face even though he quickly masks it. He just reacted on instinct like some dangerous… I can't even think it. I'm watching Danny and seeing a whole new side to him. The side that was missing from his letters, a side that was missing from our playful encounter a couple nights ago. The truth suddenly hits me hard. Danny isn't the little boy I grew up with any more and he hasn't been for a long time.

Archie doesn't see that Danny didn't intend to punch him. He only sees red and, as soon as he catches his breath, is charging Danny.

I can't believe this is happening. Now, they both mean to hurt each other. I feel Jo nudging me towards the entryway as two teachers finally charge in to break up the fight. "I need to talk to you," she whispers out the side of her mouth. "Now."

With everyone focused on the two boys being manhandled out the side entrance, Jo and I slip away unnoticed.

* * *

"You really believe that one random text about a murder he committed five years ago would be enough to make him go back?" Deputy Sandra Dewitt asked from the doorway of Chief Masterson's office.

"If somebody claimed to know your deepest darkest secret, wouldn't you want to go ask him about it? I've also got two murder victims wearing the same necklace. What do you think, Dewitt?"

"Are you asking if it's enough to get us a warrant to search the Desai house?"

"That's up to Judge Davis. I'm asking what we're missing here?"

Deputy Dewitt shrugged and took a seat across from the chief. "I don't know, boss. What do we know about the necklaces so far?"

"Necklaces? Huh? You don't think it's just the one?" Chief Masterson frowned. This case was grating his nerves. The mayor was breathing down his neck, Gloria Crane was calling three times a day and Jo's constant needling him for information wasn't helping him get to the bottom of the mysteries piling up on his desk.

"Uh, actually, that hadn't occurred to me. But I guess it could be the same one. If that's the case, how did she get it from a dead lady? How is it Regina Crane was wearing Tara Desai's necklace when she died?"

"Beats me. She got it last spring and the parents confirmed she never took it off. Either way, I think we're looking for a link between Regina and Tara. Maybe if we can get that necklace, we can wrap this one up?" Kyle Masterson needed to solve this and close the book on it as soon as possible before it made him more of a small town joke than it already had.

Deputy Dewitt nodded and stood. "Right, boss. I'll follow up with the judge."

* * *

Jo hoped to appeal to Lacey's sense of loyalty. "Danny needs your help, Lacey."

"Were we not at the same fight? He seemed to be doing just fine without me, Jo."

"That not what I meant," Jo frowned crossing her arms in front of her struggling to confidently maintain eye contact.

"Well, you should tell Danny he needs to try harder to fit in. Picking fights is not a good look." Jo continued to frown at Lacey. "If you're trying to convince me to tell your dad about me sleeping at Danny's then you're too late. He already told him," Lacey growled.

Jo was shocked that she thought he'd betray her trust like that. "Danny never said anything, Lacey. He wouldn't do that to you, even if it would make everything a hell of a lot easier for him."

"As if I'd believe you. You been following him around like a lost puppy ever since he got back." Jo flinched. Lacey was being uncharacteristically spiteful. Now she understood that she was being childish in believing that staying the night at his house was proof that she and Danny could be friends again. After seeing the way she had sort of stood up for Danny in the diner yesterday and pulled Archie away, Jo thought she might be able to get Lacey to see reason and help prove his innocence. But if Jo were being honest, she'd admit to herself that Lacey had done absolutely nothing to make anyone think she'd help Danny.

"He talks about you all the time," Jo softly stated. "He really misses you." She wanted to add that she missed Lacey, too, but wasn't prepared to deal with another rejection.

After a moment, Lacey noisily exhaled rolling her eyes. "Ok, fine. Yesterday, he tried to tell me that it was his mom that told your dad. I might have acted like I didn't believe him. We were in front of the school. What was I supposed to do?" Lacey shrugged defensively. They stood in silence, not quite making eye contact. Finally, Lacey spoke, "What's it like? Being around Danny all the time again?"

She meekly shrugged, "It's not that different." Lacey snorted. "It's extremely different," Jo conceded with a chuckle. Sobering, Jo asserted, "He didn't do this, Lacey. Deep down you have believe that."

Hackles back up, Lacey responded, "I don't have to believe anything. Was that all you wanted to tell me?"

"He's really trying, Lacey. Maybe you should give him a chance." Jo saw that tactic wasn't going to work so tacked on, "You're super connected at this school. You can talk to the people Regina talked to. Find out if anyone might have had a reason to hurt her."

"Seriously? Why would you think I'd do that?"

Jo swallowed as she bolstered up the courage to say, "We think maybe Archie is hiding something. He lied about being home the night Regina was killed."

Lacey guffawed in disbelief. "Archie? My boyfriend? What are you suggesting?" Jo didn't immediately respond, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news. Lacey's laugh dims. "Just say it, Jo."

"He borrowed Scott's car that night. I don't know exactly why. I'm just-"

"Save it!" Lacey turned away from Jo before saying something she'd later regret.

"You were Regina's BFF, right? You'd think you'd know all sorts of stuff."

"Really?"

"Do you know where she got that necklace she always wore?"

"Why is everyone asking about a stupid necklace?" Lacey angrily spun back around to face her. Jo guiltily looked away from Lacey. She wondered when it became so difficult for them to talk to each other. Lacey moved closer forcing Jo look up at her or step back. She looked up. "What aren't you telling me?" Jo squirmed and closed her eyes. She would love to have this conversation with some sort of backup, but Danny needed her to be strong. Defiantly, she forced her eyes back to her former friend. "I'm not telling you anything, or helping you _or_ Danny, until I know what the hell is going on," Lacey declared arms crossed.

Jo silently stared at her for another moment unable to articulate a response. It seemed like no matter their age, Danny would always find a way to get her into awkward predicaments.

"This isn't a game!" Lacey yelled startling Jo out of her silence. "Regina was a real person."

"I never said she wasn't," Jo gaffed defensively.

With a shake of her head, Lacey marched away, leaving Jo to figure out her next move alone. Jo needed to get the three of them on the same page pronto as far as this investigation was concerned. If in the process that led to them coming to a new mutually beneficial understanding of their friendship, then she'd be more than happy with that result as well.

* * *

His anger flared as he thought about that spoiled little slut who started all of this. If Regina Crane had just minded her own business and kept her legs closed, he wouldn't be stuck in this no-star motel in some forgotten hole at the edge of New York.

It had been days since the last email, so when the latest one finally arrived he was thrilled. The more they communicated, the sooner they'd find answers. And the sooner they got to the bottom of this latest development, the sooner he'd be able to step out from the shadows.

He still didn't fully understand why he couldn't just drive to Green Grove to have this conversation in person. Why did everything always have to be so secretive when they communicated? He looked forward to having conversations in public again without worrying about who might see.

He'd been staring at the screen responding to the most recent message for nearly two hours double and triple checking he didn't share anything that might give away his identity or exact location. He clicked send and closed the laptop with a frown. Then he stood up and stretched.

Staying under the radar was more draining than he'd anticipated, but it had to be this way. No one could know that they were in contact with one another.

He angrily flopped back onto the too-soft mattress taking up most of the space in the room and stared at the watermarked ceiling. He trusted his contact in Green Grove to resolve this situation as quickly as possible. In the meantime, he had some more history to dig up at the local newspaper. But first, he needed a nap.

* * *

I look down the hall and see Danny and Jo arguing near the lockers. Actually, Jo seems to be reaming him out as he tries to apologize to her. Is he ever not apologizing? My guess is she's yelling at him for fighting with Archie earlier. I would be, too, if I were in her shoes. Honestly, I would in my own shoes if I were on speaking terms with Danny. As it stands, I don't think I've done anything but yell at him since he's been back–excluding that one night–and I'm tired of berating him. I'm not his mother.

I recall his letters over the years and think that he seemed so much more mature on paper. Not that he isn't mature in person, but his social skills are a bit lacking. I know it has a lot to do with growing up in an inadequate justice system and probably not having to worry so much about having a good reputation. In fact, I bet the worse your reputation was in there, the better off you were.

I watch as Jo storms off leaving Danny standing there alone. An inviting smile appears on his face the instant Jo leaves and he's back to wearing that mask preventing anyone from seeing what he's really thinking. Another skill he's most likely perfected during his incarceration. Several of the people hovering close to him pretend that they have nearby business at random lockers hoping to see him lose his cool. He's doing a great job of hiding it, but I know him and see the slight dip in his shoulders indicating that he knows he's done something to be sorry for. Unfortunately, he has to keep up the façade because no matter where he goes these days, there's a ninety-nine percent chance he's being watched.

I feel bad for him, but there's no way I'm going over there to talk to him. If there's a ninety-nine percent chance he's being watched, it'll shift to one hundred percent the moment I engage him. Everyone is just waiting for me to slip up. Not just because I'm Lacey Porter, a royal force to be reckoned with at GGHS, but because I'm Lacey Porter, the girl who found Danny's dead aunt five years ago. They're just waiting to see whether I meltdown or explode in the presence of Danny Desai. It's better if I stay away, at least publicly, and don't give anyone the chance to see either outcome.

I'll just stand over here with my head high, keep playing my part in the jungle of high school and hope I graduate unscathed. I duck out of the hall before Danny notices, or makes it obvious he notices, I'm around. High school just gets more vicious the longer we're stuck here. I'm thankful he understands how the game is played, even if he is relatively new to it.


	9. Lies They Never Told Me

**Chapter Eight**

Lies They Never Told Me

* * *

_Dear Lacey,_

_Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't want you to visit me. Not here. I miss you. A lot. But your therapist is right. You shouldn't ever come here, okay? We can still write, though. As much as you want. I'll keep writing to you every week and you write to me whenever you can. Okay?_

_Speaking of letters, I got one from Jo! You probably already know that, but imagine my surprise when I saw the return address. It wasn't long, but she did mention something interesting. So… Who's Archie? Do you__ like__ like him? Do you want to kiss him and have a million of his babies? Why didn't you tell me about him? How did you two meet? I sound like a girl, don't I?_

_I guess you're doing a lot at school. Jo says you two don't hang out as much. What's Rico like? Do you think she looooves him? You should tell her to join some clubs, too. She'll listen to you. She trusts you. _

_I'm always thinking about you both. _

_Love,_

_Danny_

_._

The maddening feeling that instantly makes my blood boil shocks me with its intensity. My fuse is probably shorter than usual because I'm exhausted. I've been having strange dreams about Regina lately and my nights have been pretty restless. Of course, it doesn't help that I woke up extra early today to finally get some answers. However, this secret meeting isn't going they way I'd expected, and I am not at all pleased with what my ex-best friends are telling me. I school my features and turn back to Jo and Danny, not wanting my them to see how affected I am while I'm standing in the middle of our childhood sanctuary for the second time since Danny's return.

Jo nods confirming what Danny has just told me. It's earlier than I'm used to being awake, so I ask him to repeat it again to be sure I heard him correctly.

"Regina had his Aunt Tara's necklace?" I ask one more time for further clarification.

"Or one just like it," Danny unhelpfully adds.

"You lied. To me." It seems I'm still in shock.

"He didn't lie, he just didn't tell us right away," Jo reasons.

"It's the same thing!" I yell quietly.

"The point is we have to figure out how Regina got that necklace." How is Jo so calm about this?

I start counting off the facts, as I understand them, thus far. "So you got a text from Regina who claimed to know why you killed your Aunt Tara. She was wearing your aunt's necklace-that suddenly no one can find-when she was killed. And Archie, my boyfriend, may have killed my best friend." Jo reluctantly nods. "What else haven't you told us?" I ask, sending all my ire towards Danny.

"I joined the soccer team?"

The air flies out of my lungs and I inelegantly collapse on the beanbag behind me and flippantly yell, "Well, I guess that means everything is just peachy then." I look across the fort to see Jo smiling. It's obvious she wants to congratulate him, but she refrains after a glance in my direction. "So, Miss Mars, do you have a plan?" I ask.

Jo stands and begins pacing in front of us. She bites her thumb as she speaks, "We need to find out how Regina got the necklace and why Archie lied about borrowing Scott's car that night. We also need to find out if anyone else had a reason to want Regina dead."

I sigh. "What does your dad think?"

"He doesn't talk to me about his cases plus he won't listen to me. But I _know_ he's so focused on proving Danny did it that he won't consider another possibility."

I swallow and avoid Danny's gaze before asking her, "What if he knows something we don't know?"

Jo stops pacing and I feel her and Danny's gazes. They're looking at me like I've let them down which makes me feel guilty, but I refuse to lower my eyes. Danny sounds wounded when he says, "I did not kill Regina. I never went to her house after she texted me. I never left my room that night."

"So, the theory is that someone took the necklace to make Danny look guilty?" I ponder aloud. "Someone who knew it would lead to him…? How would they even know that?"

"We've gotta figure out how Regina got that necklace and who has it now," Jo stressed slapping her fist into her palm. "It might be the person that killed her."

"Will you help, Lace?" Danny's patent charm is absent from the earnest plea and I feel my resolve crumbling.

I'm not 100 percent sure that I have what it takes to help my old friends uncover the truth and get to the bottom of this madness, but I do have some excellent resources and access to people they don't. I'm telling myself that I want to be a better version of myself, and I think it's time I start acting like it. With a new burst of confidence settling around me, I stand up, back straight, and let myself commit to Team Danny and the search for evidence (if it exists) to prove his innocence. Our past friendship deserves at least that much, right? Heaven help him if we find evidence to prove anything else.

It's soon decided that we'll meet up at the fort again tomorrow before school to see what we've found. Today, it looks like I'm going to be wearing my best invisible spyglasses and rooting out some answers from my boyfriend and so-called friends.

* * *

Phoebe was excited.

Lacey was speaking to her like they were friends again. She thought she might have blown it during the grief counseling session, but luckily Lacey and she had sort of bonded afterward. They'd had lunch together everyday since, and today Lacey smiled three times in Phoebe's direction before initiating conversation with her. Archie had even said hello to her yesterday when he'd joined them in the cafeteria. However, Sarita's hostility hadn't waned. Sarita was still giving a lot of resistance to including Phoebe in anything. But Phoebe was patient.

She laughed at Sarita's jokes, even when they weren't funny; she made sure to stay at least one pace behind Sarita when they walked down the halls; she even avoided eye contact with her like she'd asked after Phoebe mistakenly thought Sarita was complimenting her outfit when she was speaking to Lacey.

Phoebe was being more than patient. She was biding her time as she got closer to the enemy. In the week since her reinsertion to the clique, she'd discovered several important facts about Sarita. First, Sarita had the hots for a junior named Marcus Talbot; Second, she'd put a huge dent in her dad's car and blamed it on their housekeeper; and the third was best of all, Phoebe had discovered that Sarita hated the way Lacey kept bringing up Regina Crane. Thus, Phoebe was ready when the perfect moment to strike arrived.

"It's a weird year, A.R.," Phoebe mumbled just loud enough for Lacey to hear.

"A.R.?" Lacey asked.

"After Regina." Phoebe shrugged and continued without glancing up as she stabbed at her Jell-O cup with a spork. "With the manadatory Sobriety Awareness Night tonight and Fall Fest just around the corner. It's weird that she's not around to boss people around and make sure everything is perfect."

"Yeah, weird," Lacey agreed. "Regina would have loved it. She'd also be proud of the way you're taking charge and directing the skits. She always loved your 'zest for the dramatic'"

"Oh, come on!" Sarita interjected, slamming a book on the table. Phoebe hid her smile by shoveling Jell-O into her mouth. "Regina was a big old bitch and we loved her, but she's gone now. Dead. What else is there to say? Can we stop bringing her up every two seconds?" Sarita collected her books and stormed out of the cafeteria. Scott quickly packed up his books and followed. Phoebe barely contained scoffing at the shorter girl's dramatic exit. For a moment she toyed with the idea of encouraging Sarita to join the Drama Club, but quickly erased the thought. She did not want Sarita's negative energy encroaching in and ruining her most valued school sponsored activity as much as she was ruining the Sobriety Awareness skit rehearsals.

After swallowing her mouthful of dessert, Phoebe looked at Lacey and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

Lacey cut her off with, "No. Don't be. We all grieve in different ways. Sarita just needs some time. Um, do you ever dream about her?"

Phoebe nodded excitedly. She and Lacey were having a private conversation. Like they were really friends again. She'd missed this. "All the time. It's like she has her own room in my subconscious."

"I dreamt about her last night. I asked her about that necklace. You know, that red and gold one she was always wearing."

"Oh, the one that the police were asking about?"

"Yeah. I wonder where she got it," Lacey wondered out loud.

This was her chance to be significant and she wasn't about to blow it. "You should ask Regina's mom about it," Phoebe eagerly suggested, attempting to sound nonchalant.

After a moment, Lacey replied, "No, I don't wanna bother her."

Confused, Phoebe frowned. "I could ask for you," she offered hesitantly.

"Thanks, Phoebe, but it's not a big deal. I was just curious."

_Oh, right_, thought Phoebe. _She wasn't serious. I need to relax. _ "Yeah, I know," she said and plastered on a fake smile. Popular, pretty girls with no ulterior motives didn't frown.

Phoebe was definitely biding her time and she wasn't about to let impatience ruin her chances of being on top of the pyramid again. Soon she'd be permanently sitting in Sarita's currently wobbly chair. She'd also make sure it was much more secure once it was back in her possession.

* * *

I bite my lip as I walk with Archie to his soccer practice and wonder how to bring up his questionable alibi.

"I hope tonight won't be a huge mistake," I say distractedly wondering about Danny and Jo's participation in the theater.

"Okay, Phoebe and Sarita have never really liked each other," Archie says, saving me from inserting my foot any further in my mouth.

"Right. I know. But a whole night in a theater with Phoebe and hundreds of people watching? I'm not so sure Sarita will be able to play nice for that long." I'm only slightly worried about that since Phoebe has relegated Sarita to the AV booth during the performances. They won't be within fifty feet of each other at the assembly.

Archie groans. "That makes me want to take a nap just thinking about it. I can't believe it's mandatory to attend. And what's up with Danny DePsycho and his sidekick volunteering?" Ouch. I don't want to be distracted from my objective by defending my old friends, but I'm getting tired of him calling Danny that name. It's also not cool that he called Jo Danny's sidekick. When did Archie get to callus? I bite my tongue and remind myself to be patient with him.

"I'm sure it'll be all right." I'm still trying to figure out a way to bring up the night of Regina's murder as we're getting closer to the locker rooms. I've got to come up with something now, but I remember that there's something else I want to ask of him.

"Could you please try not to beat each other up on the soccer field today?"

"Huh? Why would he be near the soccer field?"

Oh my god. I guess Danny hasn't officially announced joining the soccer team. I can almost feel my toes wiggling against my lips. Why didn't I just keep quiet?

"I mean in case he shows up. You never can tell with him, right?" I backpedal forcing out a chuckle and to my relief he joins in.

"Sure. But, for you, I'll try." He leans over to kiss me. "And you know what? I'm gonna write the anti-drinking essay. I'd rather just avoid him all together." I smile against his lips and feel myself start to blush. When our lips part I'm still smiling and bite my lip to minimize my grin. He kisses me again and I completely forget what we were discussing. This time when we part I close my eyes, take a deep breath and blow it out before opening them and meeting Archie's gaze again. His blue-gray eyes are filled with desire. He shakes the lust away and says, "At least the freak will give me and the boys something to bond over tonight after the assembly."

I blink hard, suddenly remembering my objective. "What happens after the assembly?"

"We're going out; blow off some steam. You know, big game tomorrow."

I couldn't have planned it better. "I thought you liked to stay in the night before a big game. Isn't that why you didn't go to Regina's party?"

Now that I'm looking for it, I can see him thinking up his story. A lie. "That was, uh, an away game. This is a home game. Different rules." I continue to stare at him and he stares back.

When he moves in to kiss me goodbye I step back to stall and giving him another opportunity to admit the truth. "So you never blow off steam with the guys before an away game?"

"What? Of course not." The silence is jarring as we gaze at each other.

Finally, I offer him my cheek, temper my annoyance and whisper, "Good luck at practice. See you at the assembly."

Another teammate approaches patting him on the back to get his attention. He looks at me confused before quickly pecking my offered cheek. I respond with a half grin. When he turns to leave I don't feel a smidge of guilt or regret for his obvious frustration.

I pull out my phone and send a short text to Danny and Jo. I really hope my boyfriend has an excellent reason for lying to me.


	10. Girls (and Boys) Are Confusing

**AN: **I've added a little something requested by dowagercountes and I hope you enjoy that. I hope it meets your expectations and this installment doesn't seem to all over the place. It has more changes of POV than usual.

Thanks again for all of your feedback!

**Chapter Nine**

Girls (and Boys) Are Confusing

* * *

_Hey Lacey, _

_Classes are still OK. I tutor a few of the guys in Math and English. Two are older than me, like at least 14. Toothpick has been here since he was nine, but he never understood Algebra till I helped him. If I were in your class, I bet I'd get better grades than you, Lace. They say I know stuff and I'm good at explaining it, too. Plus, it keeps me off kitchen duty. _

_I wish I could be there with you guys. I think you should trust your instincts and pick the one you like best. Jo can help you. (I really wish...) Anyway, you'll find the perfect one and they'll love you. Just make sure to tell Clara not to feed it people food. _

_Well, I have to get back to the guys and hit the books. Let me know what kind of puppy you pick and what you decide to name it. I like Daffy._

_Your friend,_

_Danny_

_._

This is my life now. This is my reality, however unreal it is. I guess I'm not completely blindsided by this, but really, I don't understand how this could have happened.

Don't hate me, but I think I might be attracted to Danny Desai. What's worse is that he also obviously finds me physically attractive as well. But that's as far as this madness is going.

I accept that he's physically attractive. Hell, Regina practically announced that fact the first time she saw him. But that's no excuse for the way my body betrays me whenever he walks into the same room. It's getting harder to concentrate on the conversation when he stares at me as if I hold the secrets of the universe. In my defense, I've finally stopped forgetting how to breathe when I see him which is just the first step toward the return to normalcy. And I know the butterflies that crop up when he's around will just go away if I ignore them. Now I just need to get my heart to slow down in his presence, but a little more time is all I need in order to master that trick.

Then there's Archie. He still makes me smile like the proudest girlfriend ever, even after coming clean about his false alibi, but the heat between us has kind of fizzled lately. By lately, I mean this week. So this might just be temporary, right?

What does all this even mean?

Archie and I have been together for over a year. Everyone says we're the perfect couple. They totally want to be us.

How am I supposed to feel about this?

Danny and I would never work in any universe. Wait. Why am I even letting that thought into my head?

I need to take a look at the facts.

Fact: I'm totally and completely devoted to Archie.

Fact: Danny and I are merely acquaintances trying to accomplish the common goal of discovering the truth about Regina's murder.

Fact: Nothing is ever going to happen between us.

Fact: I've already shut that nonsense down. Twice.

Fact: The night Sarita played that hideous remix of Jo's drunken exploits I made my stance on the subject of Danny and I even being friends very clear.

While thinking about the facts, I recall a brief moment that night. I chased after Jo to apologize for Sarita's behavior, but ran into Danny before I found her. He started towards me, but slowly, as though testing my reaction. Testing whether I would run. Or testing if I were some weak thing to be preyed upon.

I remember thinking that running was probably the best idea, but I stood my ground and asked what he wanted from me. I saw the wheels in his head turning, trying to figure it out.

I really don't know how I feel about that.

I supposed I didn't hang around long enough to hear him vocalize a clear answer, but I couldn't let the butterflies in my stomach win before I was able to shut him down and bolt.

I'm not proud of it, but sometimes you just have to save yourself and forget the rest.

Plus, I have a boyfriend who trusts me. And I trust him. Mostly. I won't do anything to betray that. Archie and I totally work.

So from now on, there will be no more solo encounters with Danny Desai. It probably sounds crazy, but I'm making it a rule that at least one other person must be present any time he and I are within ten feet of each other. I think that's what's best for both of us. Or it's best for me, but I don't see any difference.

* * *

Sarita despised school, but she attended without complaint. Well, not really without complaint, but she did attend regardless of how much it sucked. She did the bare minimum in her classes and paid attention as well, but having to do it for hours on end was miserable.

The one bright spot in her existence was her friends. However, lately Lacey was testing Sarita's negligible patience. The girl had been acting differently for weeks now and Sarita was so over it.

Sarita thought everyone realized that people died every day. It was the way of the world. So what was making this death so special for Lacey Porter? Why was she taking so long to move on with her life?

Sarita totally understood that Regina and Lacey had been close, but she'd been her friend, too, and she was doing just fine dealing with the loss.

Sure, she was sad that a psycho currently enrolled in her school had murdered Regina. And sure, she was upset that he was getting away with it, but that didn't mean she had to stop living her life. Nothing much else had necessarily changed just because Regina wasn't around anymore. Everyone in school kept moving forward. Everyone except for Lacey Porter.

She brought up Regina at lunch, or walking down the hallways, or when they were just hanging out. She was turning into a monotonous killjoy and Sarita wasn't about to be dragged down in her wake.

Speaking of drags, what exactly was up with all the weird questions? It was like she was playing detective, investigating and looking for evidence in all the wrong places. Like she could bring Regina back if she suddenly discovered some magical answer. Was any of that really going to help Lacey get over Regina's death? Seriously?

Plus there was the sketch factor.

Sarita had seen Lacey talking to that frumpy, frizzy haired, skater girl wannabe. Twice. In public. And everyone knew that girl was friends with DeSocio. If that wasn't opening the door to social suicide, then Sarita didn't know what was.

Knowing that school was about learning and that she was getting the best education possible–mostly outside the classroom–for her future career in politics, Sarita was going to reeducate her friend. She needed to keep Lacey focused on maintaining her image and place in the ranks. Lacey held public favor more easily than Sarita, and Sarita needed her in order to stay central to the GGHS social scene. At least until junior year. (She'd reevaluate their standing this summer.)

In the meantime, she'd give Lacey a little more time to come to her senses before she'd be forced to take matters into her own hands. Sarita just hoped she wouldn't have to stage an intervention and remind Lacey how good she had it. After all, what were friends for?

* * *

Why does everyone keep acting like I can magically get over the death of my best friend just because they will it? I wish I could, but I'm not built that way. I'm trying. I really am, but it's not as easy at they make it sound. I just want them to stop putting a deadline on my grief and let me deal with it in my own way. If my mom tells me to go through the box of Regina's belongings Mrs. Crane left or put it away one more time, I'll scream.

I hold my breath while Mom stares at me, silently begging her to forget the question. After a long, drawn-out moment, I remain speechless and she adds, "Aren't you at least a little bit interested in seeing what's inside it?"

I grind my teeth and release a quick unintelligible yell. "Mom. I told Mrs. Crane I'd help go through these letters. Can I do that, first? Please?"

"Of course. I just don't-"

"That's right, you don't. Now, please, get out."

After a silent battle of wills, she relents and leaves me alone with my notebook and the pile of envelopes. I sit on the bed and resume writing the names of the condolence card senders for Mrs. Crane.

* * *

Rico's eyes burned as he furiously held back the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. The Mathletes had been planning and preparing for their Pi Pie booth ever since the last Fall Festival and it was ruined in less than two hours by the chaos that always followed Danny Desai.

He had invited Jo to help him sell the Pi Pies. Nowhere in that invitation did he recall mentioning Danny. But here he was ruining everything. She was _his_ best friend, but ever since Danny returned he never got to hang out with her without Danny tagging along. Jo was constantly insisting, "Danny needs our help," "Danny needs to interact with more people," "Danny is good guy," "Danny didn't kill Regina," and "You can trust Danny." His heart would twinge every time Jo said Danny's name. And he was sick of hearing it.

"You know what? I think Danny's done enough," Rico finally said once his tear ducts were under control.

"Come on, Rico. We're gonna have fun tonight. All three of us."

"You're-" he stopped himself to mentally scream, _You have got to be kidding me!_ "You're going to the formal tonight? With him? After what just happened?" He could feel is throat tightening up and the tears were rushing back to his ducts.

"It's gonna be fine. My dad won't let anything else happen," Jo insisted, oblivious to the knife she was twisting into Rico's heart.

"Why do you wanna go all of a sudden?" he asked her, uncertain if he was ready for the answer. "Just for Danny?" He knew what he hoped to hear. After all, he had suggested they go together last week, but she'd declined telling him it would probably be "super lame." Still, he grasped onto that shred of hope.

Jo proceeded to babble about why Danny needed to go and needed her to go with him, etcetera, etcetera. Reigning in his building frustration Rico quietly nodded, wanting her to just shut up and leave him to the booth and his rapidly shriveling morsel of hope.

"Okay, so we'll see you tonight then?" she asked.

Unable to simply nod, Rico felt compelled to speak. "Why do you trust him? I just have to say something, in case you haven't noticed it. He lies to us, like, a lot. He's using his charm and those good looks, and Herbal Essence hair, to push you, you know? Not to say you're a pushover. I'm not… I don't think he's even trying to manipulate you. He probably can't even help it. What I mean is, he knows you'll let him get away with it... You're being an enabler!" Unable to keep watching Jo stare at him, mouth wide open, Rico shrugged. "I'm gonna shut up now," he said returning to clean up the pie mess.

Jo just stared at him in shock. Eventually she said, "I'm not gonna just give up on him."

He's quick to respond. "I know." He smiled sadly towards the ground. "That's what makes you Jo." After another uncomfortable silence, he cleared his throat and wiped his eyes. "You should go now. I'll see you guys tonight."

Jo nodded hesitantly then left Rico to finish cleaning up the mess from Danny's fall. It was the disappointment in her shiny blue eyes that had nearly shredded his chest. Rico never wanted to be the cause of that look again. From now on he was keeping his mouth shut when it came to Danny Desai. Jo would just have to figure out on her own that her romantic feelings for Danny were unreciprocated. That is after she finally realized that she had them.

* * *

Danny was excellent at reading people. Seeing their insecurities, their strengths and their desires came easily to him. Once he understood what made a person tick, he could adjust his behavior to align with what was necessary to get what he needed from them. Not to say, Danny was a master manipulator that heedlessly acted without regard to others feelings. That wasn't the case with him at all. Most of the time all he needed from a person was to understand them.

Danny also truly wanted people to understand him. Yet he had a difficult time trusting people and sharing any of his innermost thoughts. But Lacey Porter was different. She seemed like she really wanted to understand him, and sometimes it seemed like she did, yet at other times she looked at him as if she didn't know him at all and she didn't want to. In short, Lacey perplexed the hell out of him.

Danny understood Lacey's desire to keep their almost nonexistent, not quite renewed friendship a secret from her more popular friends. Coupled with the way she'd expressed displeasure at his decision to attend Fall Fest, it was a jarring reminder of the distance between him and the community. Another reminder of the distance between Lacey and himself.

"Hey, Lace!" She abruptly halted her wandering and turned to face him. They stealthily assessed one another head to toe. He caught sight of the slight lift of her lip, a tender smile, and a fragment of amusement dancing behind her brown eyes. That was a pleasant surprise, but the girl was still confusing the hell out of him. One minute she acted like she missed what she, Jo, and he used to have, and then in the next she treated them like something to be scraped off the bottom of her shoe.

Her mixed messages were especially puzzling for Danny at times like now, when he didn't know how to interpret the way she looked at him, but he kind of liked the way his stomach flipped in her presence. Now, she was looking at him the same way she had after practically chasing him down at the end of the Sobriety Awareness skits (and a humiliating video starring Jo). That moment in the hallway had sizzled with something entirely new and different in their relationship. Something exhilarating. That night she'd let him think she might feel something more than friendship for him. After a brief back and forth, she'd asked him what he wanted from her as if she didn't feel the chemistry sparking between them. He'd replayed the moment in his mind at least a hundred times since it happened.

"You really think it's that simple, don't you? One drunk-driving skit and the three of us are all good and everything's fine?"

He morosely shook his head. "Fine? Everything is not fine."

"What do you want from me, Danny?"

"I just wish," he hesitated unable to come up with a single phrase to sum up what he wished in that instant.

"What?" Lacey pressed.

"I just want," he stopped himself again from completing the sentence and took a step closer to her. They stared at each other.

Finally with a sad smile she looked at his lips and then quickly at something beyond him.

He'd wanted to kick himself for not taking that final step before she walked away.

Danny forced himself out of the memory and concentrated on the present. He wanted to give Lacey his full attention while she was standing right in front of him. No more than a few seconds could have passed since he'd called out to her. She was still staring at him, the subdued laughter in her eyes slowly morphing into uncertainty. The silent moment was awkward. Her gaze finally shifted from him to Jo, who he'd almost forgotten was standing next to him. Danny never stopped thinking about his surroundings, but with Lacey nearby, he found it challenging to think about anything but her. She was messing with his head.

"Jo, that dress is amazing," Lacey politely gushed.

"Thanks," she replied blushing. "You look good, too." Jo laughed, but it sounded sad.

"Yeah, you really do," Danny added, his voice huskier than he'd intended. Attempting to reestablish eye contact with Lacey he asked, "So, are you here by yourself?"

After checking that no one she knew was watching she reluctantly replied, "My mom and sister are somewhere."

Danny quickly abandoned his plan to confront her about how she treated Jo and him in the diner. Instead he took the opportunity to invite her to join them for a fun filled Fall Fest evening of childish fun and dancing down memory lane.

Lacey politely declined the offer with the lame excuse, "Thanks, but I have to find my mom. I'll see you guys later."

Danny watched as she walked passed them. After a few steps, she looked back over her shoulder to see he was watching her. She shyly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and continued on her way.

Danny stood there, once again watching Lacey walk away. This encounter didn't leave him any less confused than all of their others.

* * *

I've been keeping this secret for less than a day, but can't wait to give the responsibility of it to someone else. Someone I trust. Strangely enough, Danny is the first person I thought to tell, so I'm putting my new rule about needing a third party present on pause. There can be no witnesses to what I'm about to share with him.

I nervously pace in the dimly lit park waiting for Danny to respond to my text. I still haven't come up with a plausible and respectable reason why someone would send Regina the envelope full of cash I have in my purse but hope to by the time Danny arrives.

I'm going out of my mind. How long does it take to walk a couple of blocks? I pull out my phone to text him again when I hear him whisper, "Hey, Lace." When did he start calling me 'Lace?' It's the second time he's greeted me like that tonight. It doesn't matter. Relieved is the only way I can describe how I feel at the moment.

"I got your text. What's up with all the secrecy?" I let out a heavy sigh, tug the envelope from my clutch and push it into his hands. He quickly examines it and after seeing the cash he looks at me. "This was sent to Regina?"

Nodding, I blurt out, "It was postmarked two days before she died."

His eyes light up with hope and I know what he's about to suggest before he says it. "We have to take this to the police. Come on, Chief Masterson is two blocks away." He gestures for me to follow him.

I'm shaking my head fiercely and hate the reproachful tilt of his head when I say, "No. I can't. Not Yet." He starts to protest, but I speak over him. "What if this has nothing to do with what happened to her?"

"What if it does?" He asks. He has an excellent point.

I've had this conversation with my self at least a dozen times today, but I have yet to come up with a different conclusion. "I'm sorry. I'm just not ready to screw with how everyone will remember Regina. I owe it to her to find out what this means first. We have to figure out who sent this. You and me, we have to-"

"And Jo," he inserts. "I'm not keeping this from her."

Deep down I know she'll keep the secret if we ask her, so I wonder why I'm hesitant. Maybe I think she'd tell her dad so I tell him.

He takes a step closer to me insisting, "I'm not keeping this from her!" His unwavering loyalty makes me quickly agree. I did bring this to him after all, so I must trust him on some level, right? Danny nods and re-inspects the contents of the envelope. Then he looks around, probably checking that no one is listening. My nerves are prickling, but I refuse to let him see any weakness. After a few seconds, he's speaking again. "Why'd you want to meet like this?"

That's an unexpected tangent I don't quite follow. "How were we supposed to meet?"

Danny visibly shudders. Is it worry? Excitement? I don't ask.

He slowly advances toward me as he speaks until he's less than a foot away and my legs lose the power to move. "You could have texted me, you could have called me, you could have talked to me in the school. Why like this? Unless… Unless you want to get me alone."

"You know what?" My voice comes out huskier than I want and I don't miss the smug grin on Danny's face telling me he knows how he's affecting me. "Screw you," I growl. I'm finally able to move my legs and turn away from him. The unbelievable gall of some people!

"Lacey, I'm sorry." He sounds sorry and stops me with a hand on my elbow, pulling around to face him again. "I shouldn't have said that."

Oh, god. He's touching me. My stupid heart rate begins to soar and I hear the pulse of each beat as a loud ba-dump in my ears. This is insane. I shouldn't be here. I don't want to do this, but I'm not in control of my limbs. My hands are suddenly in his hair pulling his face towards mine and I'm kissing him. I surprisingly think, _He tastes like cinnamon and spices, _and I love this flavor. When he kisses me back I sigh against him.

I don't know how much time passes, and when I tear myself away I can't bring myself to look at him. I'm so embarrassed. My mouth, without my permission, attacked him out of the blue. I have no idea what to say to him. I quickly turn to leave, but he stops me wrapping his hand around my elbow a second time.

"Lacey, wait." I stop, still refusing to look at him. He turns me around as he frantically repeats for me to wait. I look up to apologize and he initiates the kiss this time. His lips are suddenly reattached to mine. Wow. It's even better than the first time. I press myself into him as he nips at my bottom lip. I relax against him and enjoy the soft pressure of his lips, teeth and tongue against mine.

I know I'm going to totally hate myself as soon as we stop, but maybe I can convince myself to delay the self-hate until tomorrow morning. Fact: Right now, I just want to enjoy this bliss I've found in his lips for as long as he'll let me.

* * *

He sent another email this morning. It included an encrypted attachment with the location of his next stop that his contact would be able to easily decode. It was also filled with his findings from his trip to the newspaper and subsequently the library. That emblem on the missing necklace had a greater meaning than either of them had suspected.

He was packed and leaving his no-star hotel to seek out the pendant's maker. Luckily, according to the records, he lived on this side of the country. It would be only a ten-hour drive if he just stopped when he needed gas. But who only stopped for gas on a road trip? No one said he had to be bored while researching. He was going to stop whenever he needed to and fit in a monument or two, if he happened by any on the journey.

Besides, his contact probably wouldn't have time to email him back until after the festivities wrapped up on Sunday anyway. That gave him the entire weekend to check out the sites. Plenty of time to take a peak above the radar and then on Monday, he'd get back down to business and meet with the jewelry maker.

Yep, that was the plan.

He'd eliminate all boredom from this road trip on the way to the jewelry maker and take his fun where he found it. Unfortunately, he didn't remember what Eisenhower famously said about the uselessness of plans.


	11. Fire & Ice

**Chapter Ten**

Fire & Ice

* * *

Oh, my god. I'm totally into Danny Desai. I just kissed him. More than once. More than twice. We made out! Oh, my god! Is it bad that I kind of want to do it again? Who am I kidding? Of course, it is!

When we finally part to take some much-needed deep breaths, I stop myself from leaning back into him. Unfortunately, I can't control the stiffening of my body when Danny touches my neck, or hide the catch of my breath when he looks into my eyes, and I damn sure can't stop the speed of my pulse when his thumb brushes against my lips. Damn my body for betraying me and showing how much it craves his touch.

I'm totally and undeniably attracted to this guy. And it's not at all what I want.

Having one hundred percent proof positive confirmation that he reciprocates the physical attraction isn't any consolation either. I really shouldn't have put my new rule on pause. This could have been prevented if another person were present.

What have I done? I just cheated on my boyfriend. If Archie knew I just kissed Danny Desai, he would be so hurt. What the hell was I thinking?

I know. I wasn't.

I take a step back, but his hand cupping the back of my neck prevents me from moving very far.

"You okay, Lace?" Danny asks as the index finger of his right hand tilts up my chin.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I mumble past the lump in my throat. My attempt at flippancy fails.

Danny smiles and he's kissing me again. For a second I let him, but I remember Archie and jerk out of the embrace.

"This isn't a good idea," I say catching my breath. My shields are at half-mast and my eyes can't focus on any one spot for very long adding to my sense of defenselessness. "I have a boyfriend," I pronounce weakly.

He doesn't immediately respond with a joke like I expect. His voice is calm and calculating. "I know. But you've got to admit you felt something. Or am I misreading this?" I don't meet his gaze, but I'm very aware of his eyes on me. From the corner of my eye I notice a hand seeking mine and quietly panic.

"Please, don't!" I gasp in a too husky voice.

With an understanding nod, Danny's hand falls to his side. Without explanation I know he knows that I can't quite think straight if he's touching me. I wonder if it's the same for him, but shake the thought away before the reasoning behind it fully forms.

I blow out a breath, forcing myself to focus on his words rather than the tingling sensation left behind by Danny's lips. I look at him and think, _To hell with his clever words._ I need to focus on what I'm saying. I take another step away instantly feeling more grounded now that I'm completely beyond his reach.

"When do you want to tell Jo?" I ask dismissing what just happened between us. When he smirks, I realize that the question could be taken more than one way so I add, "About the letter to Regina."

He doesn't lose the grin. "I'm meeting her at JohnnyCakes. You should come with me. We can tell her together."

Right. I sigh. We're a trio and in this together. Just like old times.

I nod pulling my compact mirror out to check my face and hair. My hair is always a mess after making out with Archie, even though I constantly tell him to stay out of it. I want to smile when I realize Danny hadn't messed it up that much, but I don't. I shut the case when I realize I'm thinking about Archie again and feel über guilty.

"Great. Let's do it. Let's tell Jo about the letter and money. Yeah. Now's good." I can't stop talking.

He just stops himself from putting his hands on my shoulders and slips them into his pockets, but the intention is clear and calms me nonetheless. Knowing that I can trust him to remember to heed my requests in high stress situations greatly reduces my anxiety.

"It's okay, Lacey. Breathe. You'll be okay." Nodding I mimic his slow breaths. "I'll be ok, too." He smiles. "It's just my freedom on the line here."

I'm so glad we're able to focus on more important matters than what just happened. I shake my head beginning to respond to his innate confidence. "Thank you," I say earnestly. With no clue as to what I'm going to do about this mess I'll happily ignore it until tomorrow.

I notice his breathing is a little quicker and can see a visible flush moving up his neck. "Don't mention it," he says softly as he steps around me walking toward the park exit.

* * *

Tyler slowly opened the large package he found at the foot of his mattress. He was giddy about what he knew it contained, a few props to add a little excitement to his documentary, but wanted to delay the reveal for as long as possible. He loved the build up to the climax. He wanted to savor and imprint it into his memory to replay much later once his documentary was in its final stages.

The contents of this package were going to be spoken about for years to come if he handled them properly. He trusted they would get the job done, but that didn't meant he wasn't without any misgivings. He almost felt something akin to pity for Danny Desai and his ignorance of what was coming, but pushed the feeling away when he remembered that sacrifices were often needed for true artists. And Tyler was a true artist.

With a toothy grin, he slowly pulled away the final strip of tape, inhaled the fragrant aroma of musty cardboard, and tugged back the nearest flap.

The masks were perfect. He delicately lifted one as if it were made of porcelain and held it close to his face inspecting the details.

Initially, he'd been unsure if the photo he'd taken of Danny walking through the crowd of reporters on that long ago day he'd enrolled in Green Grove High School had been shot from too far away, but with the results in hand Tyler couldn't have wished for better.

He tugged back the elastic attached to the mask and pulled it over his head. Mask firmly in place, he turned to the full-length mirror behind his door and regarded himself wearing Danny Desai's face. There was something uniquely disquieting about wearing someone else's face. The face of a convicted killer. There was also something uniquely compelling.

This was going to be the best documentary Green Grove had ever seen.

Tyler chuckled.

* * *

We don't speak on the short walk to JohnnyCakes and I don't comment on the fingers of his left hand brushing against my right hand every few steps. Before we enter the diner he whispers to me, "We'll figure this out." I don't know if he means what's going on between us or who sent the letter to Regina. He's already inside the diner before I can ask.

He holds the door open for me, waiting for me to follow while I take another deep breath reassuring myself that I don't look like I just made out with Danny Desai. In the park. In the park just a few short blocks away from the festivities the whole town was attending. Boy, am I thankful no one saw us. I need to relax.

As we walk to the booth Jo has secured, I noticed that the diner is pretty empty. Lucky for us, most people are probably out watching the fireworks celebrating the first night of Green Grove's Annual Fall Festival.

As I reach the booth I grimace when he waits for me to sit before plopping down next to me. He's acting like we're on a date. I roll my eyes and look up to see Jo warily watching us. Is she wearing pink lip-gloss? She must have had a pretty good night at the festival.

"What's going on?" The question has a tad more ice attached than her tone normally carries. Without giving an explanation Danny orders two Cokes for Jo and him, a Sprite for me and a slice of blueberry pie with three forks.

Jo's icy expression immediately changes to eager interest as soon as Danny tells her about the letter. I put the envelope on top of the table.

Soon the drinks and pie are on the table. Once our server leaves, I share all the information I think may be important to figuring out who the sender is. "Regina used to talk about dating a guy in Connecticut, but I went through all my texts and she never said anything specific. He was just her Connecticut boytoy. Other than that, I can't think of anyone who would be sending her money and sketchy letters like this." I point at the letter on the table to emphasize the point.

"What about your other friends?" Danny asks. "Would they know something about Regina and this, uh, boytoy?" He pushes a fork in my direction and I decline with a shake of my head.

"Trust me," I reply. "If she didn't tell me, it wasn't worth telling anyone."

"What if she did tell them? Can't you ask them?" Jo inquires insistently.

Her antagonistic tone grates, but I calmly reply, "I can't talk to my friends about this."

"Right. Just us." Jo gives Danny a meaningful look and picks up a fork, stabbing the piece of pie.

"You know what I mean," I say, regaining her attention before Danny can respond. I sip my drink and feel a slight heat on my thigh and realize his hand is hovering over it. Is he waiting for my permission to settle it on my thigh? In front of Jo? Is he crazy? I almost choke on the soda. Kiss a guy and they think they can touch you whenever they want. I cough to clear my airway and send a sharp look his way. He pulls back his hand. Scooting a little closer to the wall, I bite my lip and take a deep calming breath.

"Well, silver lining: we now have two grand in hundreds," Danny says lightheartedly. I hate that he can act so nonchalant and unfazed about everything. Can't he stop pretending for a little while? Or at least act like he's taking this seriously when it's just Jo and me with him.

I feel my phone vibrate and I pull it from my clutch purse. Perfect timing. It's Archie. I'm texting him back when Jo feels the need to comment. "I'm sorry, Lacey. Are we boring you?"

Jo's snarkiness blended with Danny's subtle possessiveness and his lack of visible concern is begging for me to snap. I'm so not in the mood for any attitude from anyone tonight. And for a miniscule instant I can't remember why I want to rekindle our friendship. "I'm texting my boyfriend back, Jo. Is that ok?" I retort unkindly.

"Ok? You're the one who brought all of this to us."

"I brought it to _Danny_." I'm really not trying to be a spiteful elitist, but I can't keep the acid out of my tone. Nothing is going right tonight. Danny's hand settles on the booth behind my head as if to pacify me. I immediately brush it away sending him a sideways glance. Jo frowns and watches him casually rein his arm back in.

"Hey. Don't turn on each other, then the confusing blackmail note wins," he lamely quips without missing a beat. He offers me the fork again and I irritably accept, harpooning a small chunk out of the slice and shoving it in my mouth. It's actually pretty good. Danny smirks and I roll my eyes.

"I think we should tell my dad about it." Now, I'm somewhat embarrassed by my outburst and appreciate Jo's maturity when she doesn't harp about it. Calmly setting the fork down next to the plate, I rejoin the conversation with more composure.

"What if people found out? Her friends? Her mom? I don't want to tell anyone until we know exactly what's going on. I don't want to ruin the way they remember her if we don't have to." Immediately after the words leave my mouth my mind begins to race. I don't mean that quite like it sounded.

The frost is back in Jo's voice. "What if this is a clue that can help my dad find the killer? Since you're so concerned about what people will think, what will everyone think when they find out you were hiding evidence? Your friends? Regina's mom? Danny's life is at stake here."

I awkwardly lean across the table and say, "What if you get off your soapbox, Jo. I'm sorry for needing some time to think about what Regina would want. But I guess that's irrelevant. Go ahead and tell your dad. Tell him everything." I nudge Danny to move out of the booth. "I have to go."

"Tell Archie I say hi," Jo mocks. I'm not a violent person, but I want to throw something at her. Danny sidetracks me when he takes my hand to assist my slide out of the booth.

"Lacey, wait," he pleads as he lets go of my hand and shifts out of my way.

Shaking my head I have to force myself to not think about what happened the last time he asked me to wait and unhurriedly walk away. Without turning around, knowing my control is beginning to fray, I walk toward the doorway and throw a "See you later" over my shoulder. I step out of the diner and hurry down the sidewalk before I can give in to the urge to go back inside and let Danny and Jo decide what we should do next.

* * *

Jo wasn't surprised to see Lacey hightail it out of the diner and rolled her eyes in disgust. Throughout the conversation she couldn't stop wondering when Danny found the time to talk to Lacey about this letter when he'd raced away from the festival earlier to take care of something at home? Lacey's departure, however, lessened her curiosity. She was happy to finally be alone with Danny, but the weight of recent revelations remained.

"Can you give her a chance?" Danny asked from the seat across from her. Jo sucked her teeth in response. "She's more on board than she was before. That's progress right?" he said defending Lacey.

She knew she'd been overly antagonistic toward Lacey, but she couldn't seem to help herself. Lacey's arrival in JohnnyCakes came as a complete surprise. On top of that Jo hadn't had time to comprehend why Danny invited her to join them when it was supposed to have been just the two of them. She'd put on shiny, pink lip-gloss for crying out loud. And Danny endorsing Lacey's lack of commitment to the mission wasn't lessening Jo's impulse to rebuke her.

"She'll never be totally onboard. You heard her. She wants to sit on evidence until she feels okay about ratting out Regina who isn't even alive to care."

"Don't be like that, Jo. Lacey's trying."

"Not hard enough. I'm sure my dad can help, but she cares more about what her stupid superficial friends think than finding out who really killed her _best_ friend." Jo hated how peevish she sounded, but couldn't help being offended by Lacey's refusal to acknowledge the importance of their past friendship. It used to be something special to Jo and knowing that it meant much less to Lacey hurt. Jo refused to be relegated to the "less than" category anymore.

"You're right. We should go to the police. Let's tell your dad," Danny suggested, surprising Jo. He picked up the envelope.

"But Lacey said–"

"To tell him everything. I think we should."

"She was upset. She didn't mean it. Unless you think she did," she hesitantly added. It came out as more of a question than a statement. Was this a trick?

After a brief pause, Danny looked at Jo and with conviction nodded. "She wants us to tell your dad." He raised the envelope and said, "Otherwise, she'd have taken this with her." Jo looked at him doubtfully. "You know what? I'll call her tonight to confirm and we can tell your dad in the morning. How's that?"

Reluctantly, Jo agreed, "Okay. Confirm and then we'll tell him in the morning." It would be easier to make the best rational decision after a good night of rest. It wasn't like her dad was going to be able to solve the case tonight anyway. With that out of the way, for now, Jo wanted answers of a different nature.

"So you're a guy, right?"

With a grin Danny responded, "Last I checked. Why?"

"Rico's been acting weird all night. Is it some guy thing I don't get?" Jo nervously played with the ragged edge of the table. "I think he's mad at me. Has he said anything to you?"

"Rico? I can't imagine him being mad at you," Danny chuckled. "Did you misuse a conjunction?"

Jo kicked him under the table and laughing said, "I'm serious."

"Sorry, Jo. I have no idea. But don't sweat it. What reason would he have to be upset?" Jo raised an eyebrow in response. "I mean other than the Pi Pies being smashed and trampled? If he's mad at anyone it would be me. You're his best friend, right?"

Jo thought she heard a twinge of wistfulness in his tone, but he was happily smiling across from her as he flagged down the waitress for a refill of his soda. Jo nodded.

"Then he'll either talk to you about whatever it is or get over it naturally."

"Right. It's probably nothing anyway." She smiled and finished the slice of pie feeling much less concerned with Rico and much better about how the evening was ending.

Sure, she was Rico's best friend, but they both understood that she was Danny's best friend, too. And right now Danny needed her. Rico was Rico. He'd be okay without her for a little while. She had to be there for Danny and wouldn't let him down. Not this time. Danny had no one else he could count on.

"Shouldn't you be home resting up for the big game on Sunday?" Jo playfully asked. "What would the coach think of you partying like a rock star with me all weekend?"

"I'm a rebel," Danny smiled and winked.

Jo's heart skipped a beat and she smiled back.

* * *

Rico blinked rapidly, trying to clear his mind. A million thoughts and conflicting feelings raced through his head clamoring for his attention, but they were drowned out by the ceaseless mantra, _I have to do what I have to do. _

Chief Masterson's footsteps were deliberate and measured as he paced behind Rico.

Rico closed his eyes and rubbed them. He wouldn't soon forget he was only a few feet away from his best friend's father, ratting out his best friend's best friend's mom. He reasoned to himself, _If it turns out I made the wrong choice, then I'll beg Jo for forgiveness. _

When he opened his eyes, he looked behind him at Chief Masterson with a strange tranquil look on his face. Chief Masterson stopped pacing and posted himself on the edge of his desk. There is a long awkward silence between the two males.

Chief Masterson folded his arm across his chest breaking the silence. "I see."

Rico tried not to let it show when the breath came out of him in one long blast.

His heart thumped on the inside of his ribcage hard enough to make his vision leap with each pulse. When the question rankled inside him long enough and the time to ask finally came, it was spoken low, barely audible to his own ears, as if he were afraid to hear the answer because he was. "Do you think Danny killed Regina and Mrs. Desai's covering for him?"

Chief Masterson rubbed his face and groaned. He then looked around the office hesitantly, as though he was in the process of some convoluted calculation, certain that his math was correct, but somehow coming up with the wrong solution every time. Rico bowed his head unsure whether he should be witnessing such intense bewilderment on the face of the man elected as Green Grove's stalwart protector.

After another deep sigh, Rico looked up to see a steely stare focused on him. "Tell me what you saw tonight one more time," the Chief demanded with a slight shake of his head. "And don't leave anything out."

A perplexed look moved across Rico's features as he began mentally planning the numerous ways he would make this up to Jo. _I should have just stayed out of it, _he thought before retelling his tale to the father of his best friend.


	12. What is this Feeling (Part 1)

**Chapter Eleven**

What is this Feeling (part 1)

* * *

_Dear Lacey,_

_How are you? I miss you already. I'm so sorry you and Jo were there. Please don't hate me. You're my best friends. You really really are. _

_I'm doing OK. I'm not the smallest one here and my roommate isn't mean. He let me have the top bed on the bunk. They call it top bunk. Ha! What's a bunk?_

_Have you seen my parents? My dad didn't come to sentencing. I guess he can't stand to look at me after everything. My mom was a mess, so can you check on her once in a while? Father might not remember. _

_If you write me back we can talk about anything you want to talk about. I hope you write me back. Please. OK?_

_It feels like forever since I left. I really miss you a lot. _

_Your friend,_

_Danny_

_._

I tuck my feet up under myself, getting comfortable and putting a little distance between us on the couch. Ignoring the guilt from last night pecking at my conscience and insisting I come clean with Archie is a becoming a fulltime chore.

"What's up with you?" Archie asks watching the end credits of some movie playing on the TV. "You come over to hang out but you've been distant all morning. Who is that?" He gestures to my phone as it lights up again. I turned off the volume hours ago and haven't responded to any of Danny's numerous texts and voice messages since he started sending them late last night. I need this weekend to be Desai free and to get my feelings and hormones under control. There's no way I'll be ready to talk to him before then. Hence, the movie marathon with Archie.

"It's probably my mom. I'll call her back later. I just want to spend time with my boyfriend without any distractions," I say with a too large smile.

He grins and turns up the volume on the TV before sliding over next to me. I'm not sure why he does that. His parents aren't home so there's no one to hear us making out in the living room. "I like distractions. Especially when they include your lips on mine."

Knowing I'll get lost in thought again if I have a moment to think about what Danny might want from me so urgently, I set my phone on the coffee table face down. I meet Archie's darkening blue-gray eyes with a smaller smile giving him my full attention. "Show me."

Archie moves in and instantly zeros in on my mouth gently lowering me to lie back on the couch. He leaves a trail of teasing kisses from my lips to my neck. I turn my head to give him better access and through the glass of the coffee table, I see that I have yet another text message alert. My concentration is broken and it only takes a few seconds for Archie to notice.

"What is it?" he quietly mumbles against my neck.

I pull his head up to mine and answer him with a hard kiss. I can do this. Archie is my boyfriend and I love kissing him. It's one of my favorite pastimes. Unfortunately, today it's lost a lot of its thrill.

I take charge of the kiss and he eagerly returns my attention. "Babe. Ow!" I don't realize how hard I'm kissing him until he pulls back, rubbing his lip and gently restraining me from pursuing him.

"I like the enthusiasm, but _Die Hard_ starts in," he chuckles and glances at the clock on the cable box, "shit." With a groan he kisses me a final time and hops off the couch. "Six minutes. I gotta grab the drinks. Can you make the popcorn?"

"Huh? You'd rather watch a movie than makeout?" I ask insulted by his rebuff.

"How do you figure? I just said I liked it. But it's the original, Lace, and my copy is scratched. You know that." He kneels closer to me on the couch in an attempt to placate me.

I feel like the insecure and needy girlfriend I promised I'd never become. I'm disappointed and still offended but I say, "Yeah. I know that. I don't know what's wrong with me." He grins at me and slowly leans in to quickly kiss me again. I force myself to smile when the kiss ends.

"You're not still mad 'cause I lied about where I was the night that…"

"No," I immediately insist. How can I be mad at him when I've done something much worse? "Of course not."

"It's not like I ever asked how you knew Desai would be at practice that day."

"What? Archie, I didn't," I lamely lie. "Where is this coming from?"

"Lacey, it's whatever," he chuckles. "I'm sure he told you in a pathetic attempt to show off. I'm not gonna hunt him down and attack him for talking to you if that's what you're afraid of."

After another peck, he pats my hip urging me to follow him into the kitchen and make the popcorn while he grabs two beers from the fridge.

When I return with a bowl of popcorn and a bottle of water, I see he's made himself comfortable and has already downed half his beer. He gestures to the bottle on the table and I shake my head. "No thanks. I'll stick with water."

His eyes briefly move from the screen to look at me.

I sit on the couch in my original position, feet tucked and distance between us. "What? You're insulted that I don't want to drink?"

He groans. "Why is everything with you so complicated these days?"

He's already returned his attention to the movie.

I'm really not a violent person, but just this second I want to punch him in the face. Maybe I'll get his attention then. Instead, I sip my water and stare at my upside-down phone. I silently watch the stupid movie from my lonely, pensive side of the couch.

* * *

Tess Masterson delicately set the package in her safe deposit box at the bank. It had been a year since she'd laid eyes on its contents yet this was her third visit this month.

She'd received another phone call this morning after her husband left for work and immediately complied with the caller's instructions. Now she had another package to add to her growing collection.

She was assured that this would be the last one, and the next time they met she would be rid of the packages and there would be no more mysterious phone calls and no more mysterious directions. Then Tess would have her weekends back to herself. She wanted to believe that, but she knew better.

As she closed the safe deposit box she slyly slipped a memory card into her pants pocket. When she returned to the front of the vault, she collected her purse from the clerk she'd asked to hold onto it, as instructed and left the key to the safety deposit box on her desk.

After she left the bank, Tess never saw the clerk pick up the phone and drop the key into a pre-labeled business envelope.

* * *

I nearly scream when I enter my bedroom and see Danny sitting on my bed with my traitorous dog Daffy resting in his lap. She definitely thinks she's still a puppy and has balled herself up as compactly as possible, but her back paws are dangling off the side of the bed.

"Hey, Lace," he cheerfully says as soon as I angrily but quietly shut the door. "Fancy meeting you here." There goes my Desai-free weekend.

"I live here. You don't. What the hell?"

"I left you a message. I guess you haven't checked it yet."

"I've been busy." I march over to him, shove his shoe-clad feet off my bed and brush off the dirt from the area where they used to be. Daffy rolls over presenting me her belly. When I ignore her, Danny happily rubs her abdomen. I glare at both of them. "Maybe I wasn't clear the first time I asked. What the hell are you doing in my room, Danny?" My violent impulses are flaring up again and I have an internal debate about the pros and cons of everyone—mostly stupid boys that do stupid things— needing a little smack in the face once in a while. It's just too bad the world doesn't work that way. Plus my hands would get pretty sore pretty quickly.

"Jo's right. We should either go to the police with the cash and the note, or, I don't know, do something now." He stands up and Daffy bounds off the bed to settle at his feet. Have I mentioned that she's a traitor?

I take a reflexive step back before I'm able to stop myself. "I told you and Jo to tell her Dad. He can track down whoever Regina was blackmailing."

I turn away and remove my jacket to put it away. When I close the closet door Danny is standing directly behind me. "You don't want to go to Connecticut and check it out ourselves? Find out who lives there?" His tone oozes charm but I refuse to be swayed. I abruptly turn to face him and he's well within my personal space. Classic persistent Danny strikes again.

Shaking my head I say, "Great idea. Let's knock on the door and ask why they sent that note. Oh, while we're there, let's ask if they murdered Regina and took her necklace. What makes you think they used their real return address?"

"I considered that. I just wasn't sure if you were serious about going to Chief Masterson." He licks his lip and shyly smiles at me. "And I was kinda hoping for a road trip."

"Better luck next time." I shove my way past him and pull my hair from its ponytail. "How'd you get in here anyway?"

Following me he points to the window. "Climbing up and opening the window from the outside with one hand was much easier at ten than it is at sixteen. Nice attack dog, you've got here. She almost ripped off my leg," he jokes as he kneels petting her again.

I turn away from him before he can see me smile. "You're an idiot," I say unsure if he can hear the laughter in my tone. The silence grows thick and heavy as I move to the other side of my bed. I subtly check and see that my shoebox of letters is still under it and out of sight, then sit and start to take off my boots giving myself something to do.

"Are you afraid of me? You afraid something else might happen?" Danny softly asks while playing with Daffy. I know what he wants to talk about and I don't back down from the subject.

I shift to face him and say, "Danny, that kiss was a mistake. I have a boyfriend."

"Yeah, I'm very aware of that, Lacey."

"You can't just climb up to my room whenever you feel like it. I have a boyfriend."

"You already said that." I do my best not to roll my eyes. I turn away and remove my other boot. "You guys seem like a really great couple and the last thing I want to do is mess that up. I really want us to be friends, Lace." He sits on the opposite end of my bed. From the corner of my eye, I watch Danny's Adam's apple as he swallows, the sole sign of his nervousness, and feel an unwelcome urge to touch it. I know I'll get sidetracked if I touch him or let him touch me; if I feel his skin against mine, feel his warmth; if I even think about how that'd feel, like I'm doing right now. Ugh. I kick that line of thinking out of my head and realize Danny is waiting for a response. "Please?" While his words and tone are apologetic and full of sincerity and longing, his lean body tells a much different more seductive story.

Nevertheless, I choose to believe the words. "Okay. Great."

"I mean it, Lacey." He reaches across the mattress and takes my hand in his. "Yours and Jo's friendship mean everything to me. I won't do anything to hurt you." I nod in silent agreement giving him a chance. Again. "So, you'll come with me to check out the address?" Gently pulling my hand from his, I nod again and agree to pick him up at his house after dinner.

"Okay, great, I'll bring snacks." With an uncertain smile Danny climbs out my window. Daffy immediately throws her heavy body into my lap and licks my hand. As I stroke her head, my heartbeat returns to a normal pace. A few minutes later I notice my phone silently light up alerting me that I have a new message.

_Are you still ignoring my texts? _I read.

After taking it off silent mode, I roll my eyes and send back, _See you at 8._


	13. What is this Feeling (Part 2)

**AN: **Here's the second part. The road trip to Connecticut. Assume most of the same stuff happened, just without Jo.

**Chapter Eleven**

What is this Feeling (part 2)

* * *

Lacey jumped and clumsily hung up her cell phone when Danny eagerly entered the car, a jolly smile on his face. His palms started sweating and his stomach flipped as soon as he saw her car pull up. For the next few hours he had her all to himself. With a plan to turn up the charm and sprinkle it with honesty here and there, he knew by night's end there was no way she would have any residual doubt about his good intentions.

"Everything okay?" He asked with genuine concern once he realized she was frowning. He was prepared to pull her out of a funk if needed, but knowing her, she'd probably pretend everything was perfect anyway. One day, he hoped she'd feel comfortable enough with him to let down her guard and not be perfect.

"Yeah, just stuff with my mother," Lacey replied with an eye roll. "I don't know why she feels the need to know every little detail about my life."

Danny shrugged. "She loves you and it's her job to worry." He pulled out a bag of Blue Ranch chips from his bag and offered it to her.

Lacey rolled her eyes again, took the bag and pulled away from the curb shielding the smile threatening to show itself. He couldn't wait for her to shamelessly direct a full on, heart-stopping, happy smile in his direction, but for now he'd take what he could get. Things were off to a good start.

After a few minutes of awkward silence Danny attempted to get a conversation going. "So, how's Clara doing? She's gotta be, what, ten now?"

Lacey chuckled softly, "Almost thirteen. Between school, her friends and gymnastics I don't see her much. She's training for the next Olympics. Mom says she's got a good shot at the trials, so she goes to any and every competition within a day's travel."

"Wow. I didn't realize it was that serious. That's amazing."

With a small, proud smile Lacey said, "Yeah. I guess."

"And your dad?"

"In Seattle. He visits a couple times a year. He'll be back for Clara's birthday."

After another short pause in the conversation, Danny affected a detached expression and asked, "So, how long have you and Archie been an item?"

Lacey raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. "Seriously?"

"Why not? I'm trying to catch up on what I've missed over the past few years. I've been kinda outta the loop."

Throwing another disbelieving glance his way she skeptically repeated, "Seriously?" Danny nodded. Lacey exhaled loudly and haltingly answered, "I guess, we've been friends for years, but we decided to become more around the beginning of freshman year."

"That's cool," Danny casually replied. "I'm happy for you."

Lacey laughed. "Somehow I doubt that. What about you? Any relationship…" The question died on her lips once she realized what she was asking.

Danny was quick to respond in a slightly too cheerful tone, "There were tons and tons of relationship opportunities for me in juvie, but I _respectfully _declined every proposal. I'm not the kind of guy that just jumps into a relationship all willy nilly," he joked. "Besides I was saving myself for someone special. You know?" He wondered if she would pick up on the subtext of his last statement or think he was still joking.

Letting Lacey see what he was really feeling was an inconsistent habit he was steadily trying to form, but his perpetual jovial tone made it tough for people to see through all the BS. He trusted that Lacey saw past that better than most. And when she replied he got his confirmation.

"Yeah. Sorry. So, have you gotten up to date with the music scene?" She turned on the radio.

"Oh, man! Remember this song? We loved this song." He playfully started a drumbeat on the dashboard with his fingers. "What was this, like, third grade?"

"Fourth," Lacey said with a fond smile.

Danny began shouting out the lyrics. His enthusiasm was infectious and soon Lacey was belting them out with him. Giggling she dropped out saying, "I don't remember the words."

"Remember the first day that we heard this song. We'd just gotten back from sledding at Mohawk Hill." Danny's voice was slightly wistful as he watched Lacey humming next to him. "That was a great day."

"Yeah," she agreed, turning to look at him. He wished he could see the warmth and lightness in her eyes more often.

She quickly returned her attention to the road and abruptly stopped humming. Unsuccessfully preserving her upbeat manner she added, "Jo insisted on sitting in the front of the sled and swore she got hypothermia from it."

Danny didn't understand why she sounded so sad all of a sudden and decided to ask about something that had been on his mind. He turned down the radio.

"What really happened between you and Jo? Why'd you bail on each other?"

"What do you mean?" Lacey asked switching lanes to pass a slower motorist.

Danny wasn't about to let her deflect the topic. "You know, the night of our sleepover? You said middle school was rough and you did what you had to do to survive. But I know it was connected to what I did."

"We just stopped being friends, okay? The details aren't important. People grow up. They change and there's nothing we can do about it." She turned up the radio again and drummed softly on the steering wheel.

Danny rustled through his bag of goodies and pulled out a bag of Twizzlers ®. He opened it and tore one off holding it up to Lacey's mouth. He smiled when without hesitation she snatched it from him with her teeth. After feeding her a second one this way she looked at him sideways.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing? This is the way we always eat licorice."

"They're called Twizzlers® numbnuts," she groaned falling back into their childish argument. He raised another piece of the candy to her lips and teased her by brushing it across her bottom lip. His breath hitched when he saw the pulse in her neck jump. With a slight frown she slowly opened her mouth and accepted it like last time. He forced himself to think of something other than leaning in and feeling that pulse throb against his tongue.

After finishing the candy, Lacey glanced at him. He licked his lips and watched her briefly panic looking back at the road. Finally, she shook her head when he moved to fish another piece from the package.

"No, Danny. You can't do this. It's not fair."

"What's wrong? It's just our thing."

"When we were kids," Lacey declared. "But we're not kids now. And you know it's totally different."

Danny shut up, sat back and forced himself to relax, to let Lacey set the rules, a challenge that became more and more difficult as the miles ticked on. Ten minutes later, Lacey's phone chimed in the cup holder between them cutting through the monotony of regurgitated pop songs. Before she could grab it, Danny scooped it up dangling it in the hand furthest from her.

"It's Archie. Should I answer?"

Lacey blindly reached across the front seat to grab it from him and missed. "Give it to me, Danny!" She attempted to grab it again and swerved a little on the road. "Do not answer that."

"I'm just kidding. Here." He handed her the phone and watched as she stabbed the ignore button and jammed it into the side pocket of her door.

A witty retort sat on his tongue, but he snapped his mouth shut. Fuck! He'd only meant to tease a little, but he'd apparently gone too far in his antics. His read on her was hit or miss, and this time he struck out spectacularly. It was now definite that Lacey had an exaggerated and wrong impression about what he wanted to come from their friendship, and it was all Archie's fault. If he weren't in the picture...

"I wasn't going to pick up, Lace," he said sincerely. "I was just joking around. I didn't mean…"

"Let's just not, okay?"

After getting that terse response, he realized that Lacey was no longer in the mood for conversation and let his words trail off. How had he let Archie Yates intrude in his private time with Lacey from seventy miles away? Feeling his expression beginning to reveal his thoughts, Danny turned away from her back to his window. He didn't need her to see the budding anger in his eyes and dismiss the little progress they'd just made. He needed to calm down, focus on his goal and fix this. He had the entire ride back to Green Grove to adjust his strategy.

* * *

Danny was at a loss. He'd never felt less in control in his life. Lacey was freezing him out and this trip to the address on the letter had been less than worthless.

"So he said that guy in the apartment has been dead for months?" Lacey finally asked as she pulled onto the highway back to New York.

"Apparently. The apartment was just sitting there vacant. It's weird, huh?"

After a beat she shook her head and replied with a sad smile, "Yeah." She gave the road much more attention than it deserved, but Danny figured she was still uncomfortable with his antics on the ride up and was overcompensating to prevent any accidental flirtations.

"I just don't get it. Who could have sent that letter to Regina from an address where no one lives?" He turned to look at her, hoping she wasn't opposed to brainstorming.

"I have no idea."

So, no ideas were going to come from her side of the car. Danny let out a humorless laugh and shook his head.

"I can't believe I almost went back to juvie tonight. For what? For nothing. We didn't figure out one friggin' thing."

"I know." He watched Lacey bite her lip and an alarm went off in his head. "Totally sucks."

She was lying to him. The feeling was so sudden and so strong that he sat there for a moment with his mouth open as though he were screaming underwater for the truth but was unable to make any sound. What had she discovered while he was quarantined with the security guard?

He snapped his mouth shut, and just that fast, the overwhelming feeling was gone, and in its place was a slimy sense of unease.

Maybe he'd been wrong about trusting her.

* * *

Our trip to Connecticut produced results I had no reason to expect. Ironically, although Jo wasn't present, the trip helped us come to an understanding, bringing us closer while keeping Danny at a distance. By the end of the night, although we didn't reach the BFFs stage again, Jo and I bonded over the discovery I shared with her and the lie we mutually decided to keep from him. Not so much a lie as a secret.

"Are you sure that's what you saw?" I heard Jo's whisper through my earpiece. "How could Vikram have sent that cash and note? He's dead."

"They never found a body," I rationalized.

"This is so messed up."

"Yeah, I know." I was so glad she was being so calm about this.

"Did Regina know Vikram?"

"No," I said, but quickly remembered that I couldn't let my biases for my dead friend cloud my judgment and added, "I mean, I don't think she did."

"How do you think Danny would react to this? He was so close to his dad," Jo said, her tone full of disappointment.

"I don't know. I couldn't tell him. I didn't know what to say."

"This could potentially crush him," Jo agrees and just like that it's decided to keep this information from Danny.

Before hanging up Jo asked, "Do you think Danny was right?"

"What?"

"That we bailed on each other?"

I swallowed around a newly developed lump in my throat and nodded emboldened by the knowledge that she couldn't see me. Thinking about the past made me anxious, and with no therapist coaxing me through this period of drastic change in my life, I was scared of shutting everyone out and shutting down. But I think it was probably time Jo and I hashed it out. At least a little. "I don't know. What we went through…It was… It would have put a strain on any friendship."

"Yeah."

"And maybe it would have happened anyway. Us drifting apart. Not all friendships last forever." I was proud that I got through that without my voice breaking or even tearing up. Go me.

"True. Maybe we can find a way to drift back?" Her voice was hopeful and I felt a little bit of stinging in my eyes.

"Maybe," I whispered, before begging off for the night.

As a side effect of that conversation we're currently able to have friendly interactions without a mediator for more than a two minutes at a time.

And by friendly I mean we're working on altering our perceptions of each other. Jo still thinks I'm a self-centered superficial bitch and that I care too much about what other people think of me. And I still think she'd rather watch life happen to her so she can continue to play the blameless, morally superior victim. But now with all our cards on the table we can be honest with each other with less yelling. Like I said, we're working on it.

As far as my relationship with Danny, I haven't had much time alone to process everything that's happened over the weekend as it's not quite over. After the kiss on Friday night, I had planned to stay away from him, but he was everywhere. The surprise visit followed up with the road trip last night (another instance in which I threw my No Solo Meet Ups with Danny Rule out the window), and now today, too. I'd hoped for one Desai free day, but I forgot he's on the soccer team. This has been the longest game of soccer I've ever attended.

Even though I'm here cheering for Archie, my eyes keep unintentionally brushing across Danny whether he has the ball or not and he keeps looking up at me. It's becoming more likely that the butterflies in my stomach aren't going to disappear for some time to come, particularly because I keep smiling at him like a schoolgirl with a crush.

I'm more than ready to run to my car when it finally ends, but I've got to praise Archie's efforts in such a close game even though he's not very happy since the Grizzlies lost. He jogs over to me in the bleachers and Danny isn't far behind. It's like he's trying to piss Archie off. I ignore the tagalong and give my full attention to my super cute boyfriend.

"You were great out there," I tell him with a cheerful smile. "You hungry?"

"Yeah, for those sexy lips." I don't expect it when he pulls me into his sticky body and kisses me so I cringe away in startled revulsion.

"Ew, Archie, don't. You're all sweaty." I know he's showing off for his friends and Danny–who is standing right there–and I've unintentionally embarrassed him. It's not my fault he repeatedly chooses to ignore the fact that I don't enjoy overt public displays of affection.

He plays it off and with a quick glance over his shoulder unsympathetically says, "I'm sorry, Lace. I didn't realize I disgusted you so much." Ouch. I guess he's still a little peeved about the epic fail of a movie marathon yesterday. Before I can pacify him, Danny interrupts.

"Hey, Lacey. Thanks for coming out to support me. It's nice to see a _friend_ in the stands." The undertone in the word 'friend' raises the hairs on my arms. I'm not grasping what he's subtly trying to imply.

I don't have time to ponder it since Archie doesn't waste any time expressing his displeasure. "Keep walking, freak. She's not your friend."

"Sorry, Captain," he sneers. "I was just being polite to your _girlfriend_." He's more confrontational than normal and it's obvious Danny is goading him. Archie isn't in the mood. I inwardly groan and hope this conversation ends in the next minute, without an ugly physical component. "I didn't mean to upset you," Danny says sarcastically with a small smile.

"That is such bull," Archie growls, and I silently agree. "You live to upset me." I've had enough of both of them and when I hear Archie tack on, "You psycho," I have to speak up.

"Stop it! Both of you." I've got their undivided attention now. "Enough!" I can't look at Danny in front of Archie without feeling guiltier so I lock my gaze on Archie, inadvertently funneling all of my frustration in his direction. "Enough with the psycho and the freak and the taunting. It's all exhausting and kind of awful." Archie looks at me in shock as if I've just crushed his pet frog. Lately, I can't seem to do anything right where he's concerned.

Finally he throws up his hands and tells me, "I'm gonna go wash off. So I'm not so sweaty." I can't think of anything to say in apology before he walks away. I watch him leave me standing there. I think I kinda just got verbally bitch-slapped by my boyfriend.

There's a bit of amazement in Danny's voice when he thanks me for standing up for him but I'm still reeling from Archie's departure so Danny's words hardly register. I didn't mean to offend Archie and I don't mean to offend Danny, but have nothing nice to say and can't risk asking about his dad. I brush him off with a terse, "See you later," and head to my car alone. I feel him watching me, but refuse to turn around to check.

Tomorrow can't come soon enough. At least at school I'll have the buffer of friends and the rest of the student body to help me avoid Danny and do some much needed groveling to Archie.


	14. I'll Be Damned

**AN: **Sorry for the wait. I just couldn't get to a computer to upload the latest chapter. I think this one feels more like an interlude, but interpret it as you will. I'll be posting another update this weekend in case I have the same issue this next week, too. As always, thanks so much for reading and please let me know your thoughts, if you get a moment.

**Chapter Twelve**

I'll Be Damned

* * *

Right after lunch I get a text from Jo reminding me to ask Danny about the reason he killed his aunt. This morning, I told her I was uncomfortable with the task, but she insisted that I'd have better luck than she did. I can't tell her that I have a rule about at least one other person being nearby when Danny and I are in the same space, so I simply agree and hope that Jo appreciates the sacrifice I'm making.

Principal Tang religiously patrols this side of the school during the sixth period so part of me is sort of hoping all of the smokers will have scattered before we're scheduled to meet. Another part of me is hoping that someone will be there so the meeting with Danny will have to be postponed. I don't know what makes me think that texting him to meet me just before the final class of the day is a good idea, but I do it and wait for him at the side door.

Unfortunately, this side of the school is deserted when I arrive. I heave a sigh, tap my foot nervously and have a death grip on my bag as I wait. After a few minutes, I find myself thinking my old mantra, _My past does not govern my future, _before I can stop myself, but it helps ground me in the moment.

I'm on the brink of leaving when Danny exits out the side door and approaches me wearing a bright smile.

Without build up or introductory small talk, he eagerly says, "Last time you texted me for a secret meeting, things got a little intense." Wow. I did not expect him to come right out with that.

I'm slightly thrown off but recover quickly and muster up the guts to talk about that day five years ago that I usually refuse to even think about. I sound calm and assertive when I say, "Danny, we need to talk."

"Yeah, I agree," he says noncommittally with a shrug. He's not following the script. This is going to be much harder than I thought especially if he's thinking it's about what happened between us on Friday night.

"Not about that." What happened with Danny was a mistake and will not happen ever again. I'm squeezing the strap of my bag so hard my fingernails are starting to dig into my palm, but I remain confident. I take a deep breath and then another before saying, "It's about five years ago."

He chuckles and does his typical evasive joking maneuver, but I cut him off before he can get too silly. Two can play this game, Mr. Desai.

Although this is not going at all the way I imagined, I refuse to break eye contact. "You know what I mean. I want to discuss that day and what happened with Tara."

All humor leaves his face. "Now? Right here? At school? Why? Why now?"

I knew this was a bad idea. I should have asked him to meet me at the fort, or even his house. I am so not ready for this conversation to happen, but I have to move forward as if I mean to finish. I highly doubt I can attempt this again later. "Why not now?" I snap.

"God, Lacey. I can't take all these mixed signals," he sputters, frustration entering his tone.

I thought my question was perfectly clear. How can he get mixed signals from that?

"You stand up for me to Archie and then you avoid me. You kiss me and then you say you can't do it again. You text me about some secret meeting and then you ask me weird questions about my aunt. What is this?"

"It's not a weird question."

"Lacey, that kiss–" This is totally _not_ what I'm prepared to hear. I should not have abandoned the Third Party Present Rule. If someone else were around this conversation would not be derailing this badly. I see the tension building in his neck and shoulders as he struggles to articulate his thoughts. "That kiss is all I think about. All day. _Every_ day. Don't you think about it too?" The vulnerability of his uncertainty slams into my chest.

I don't want to know this. I can't know this. My lips part to answer his question, but I don't make a sound. Why can't he just focus on the question I'm asking him? I really look at him and see the wounded longing in his eyes. He's not going to tell me anything I want to hear. I'm not going to tell him what he wants to hear either. I try to swallow but my mouth is too dry.

I don't realize my breathing has sped to the rate of my heart until Danny repeats, "Don't you?"

This was a terrible idea. I never should have listened to Jo. I hope I'm shaking my head, but I can't feel my body right now. I'm having an out of body experience. I can see myself, but I'm not really there experiencing this. Is this what being in shock feels like?

"Danny, I–" My mouth falls open again still speechless, but it doesn't matter because he cuts in.

"You don't feel the same way?" I'm definitely not answering that question, but my silence seems to be answer enough for him. He nods as if he can hear my thoughts. The world gets smaller as he steps into my personal bubble. "You and I both know that is not true."

The intensity in his gaze grows and all I can see are his persuasive light brown eyes. My mouth is suddenly so dry I know that no amount of liquid will ever replenish its moisture. He studies me for a moment longer, searching for something, but if he discovers anything, he isn't saying. I inhale again and by chance smell his cinnamon tinged aftershave thrusting me back into the memory of forbidden kisses and frantic fingers.

A bird chirping in a nearby tree breaks the spell, and I'm back in my body able to blink and free myself from his too perceptive stare. I've lost this round.

I tighten my hold on the strap of my bag and with one final look bite my lip. Slowly, I sidestep around him and walk back into the school, one hundred percent sure that I've failed that interrogation.

* * *

Being guilt-ridden is exhausting and making my life hell.

It's hard to believe that the brief shameful moments that keep replaying in my mind all happened in one short weekend. Mostly because their guilt-laden aftereffects are taking a toll on me and have been adversely influencing my actions all week.

First of all, Jo and I have been regularly sneaking to the fort to discuss what Danny may or may not be hiding from us while simultaneously keeping a huge secret from him. Secondly, I've been creeping my friends out with questions about Regina's enemies, secret boytoys, private problems and her necklace. Thirdly, when I'm not attempting to interrogate him, I'm ducking into bathrooms and random classrooms whenever I see a guy with long, dark hair in a mad attempt to avoid lying to Danny or getting sucked into his too keen eyes. And finally, I've been spending every spare minute with Archie trying to prove I'm the good, faithful girlfriend he deserves and making myself miserable in the process.

The stress of all of this mystery and spy work is weakening my resolve, my confidence _and_ my reputation. I can barely stay awake in class and hardly remember what a normal conversation is supposed to sound like. That, combined with my mounting guilt, has led me to the most embarrassing conversation I've ever had in my own room. If I weren't so mentally drained, sharing my innermost thoughts this way would never have crossed my mind.

"Nothing we're about to discuss can ever leave this room."

My soon to be confidant enthusiastically nods in agreement.

"I'm serious. If you ever speak of, allude to or even _think_ about mentioning any of this, then I will make ruining your life my sole purpose for living." This time the accompanying nod is much slower and more wary. I see her swallow and hear the uncertainty in her voice when she whispers, "I get it. What do you want me to do?"

"Just pretend that we're friends and you have my best interests at heart."

"I _do_ have your best interests at heart, Lacey. I am your sister." Clara rolls her eyes then proceeds to make herself comfortable on my bed with Daffy sleeping next to her.

"Whatever," I shrug and flop down backwards on the foot of my bed. "Just promise that what is said in my room stays in my room. You're the only one I can trust to keep your mouth shut because I guarantee a slow and painful dismemberment if you say _anything_ you're about to hear to _anyone_. _Ever_." I straighten out my right arm towards her, pinky extended.

She fearfully nods stretching out her left pinky over Daffy to hook it with mine. "I promise," she says with a slight squeeze of her pinky.

We smile at each other and I fall back again staring at the ceiling. "Now, tell Dr. Clara everything," she says in an exceedingly serious tone.

I let out a really deep, long breath. Here goes nothing. "Sometimes I think it would be better if Danny never came back to Green Grove," I start.

"Really? You mean the Danny that told me that eating wormy mud pies would make me smarter and faster than you?"

"Clara, this isn't gonna work if you interrupt. I just have to get all this out, first, and then you can talk, okay?"

"Right. But wouldn't a friend say something?"

"What? Just pretend you're my mute friend. Okay?"

"Okay. Sorry," she intones sarcastically.

"Anyways, sometimes I just want to yell at him for doing what he did. Or run away from him or just never see him again, you know? Then there are other times. Like when I regret not keeping in touch while he was in Juvie or when I catch him watching me like he's afraid I'll disappear if doesn't keep looking. Then I start to wonder what he sees when he looks at me. Do I make him nervous the way he does me? I can't figure out exactly what he wants from me. And I don't know what I want at all.

"So, I basically tell myself that I'll ignore him and that he won't make my stomach do summersaults when I seen him, but as soon as I even think his name I know it's a lie."

"Even now?"

"Clara!"

She mimes zipping her lips.

I take a breath and close my eyes to return to my train of thought. "Since Danny reentered the picture, it's like he's taken over all aspects of my life. He's all I've been thinking about. It's like I'm obsessed and can't delete him from my brain.

"I promise myself that I won't smile back at him when he smirks at me, but as soon as I catch his eye, I become a hypocrite. I want to move forward with my life. I have to figure this out, but no matter what I decide, I know I'm going to lose something."

The bed shifts under me, but I ignore Clara's movements maintaining my focus on my stream of consciousness monologue.

"If I choose to figure out what is going on between Danny and me, my friends won't understand. Would they really drop me because of feelings I can't control? I don't want to lose them over a boy, but… Maybe if I could convince them that he didn't have anything to do with Regina's murder, then maybe they'll be more accepting of him.

"But if Danny and I have a relationship, that would mean Archie and I would be over, you know? Maybe that'll be reason enough for them to drop me.

"Worst of all, I don't even know how I feel about Archie anymore. If my feelings for Danny are temporary and clouding my feelings for Archie, then if we break up it'll all have been for nothing, right?

"But on the other hand, if I choose my friends and turn my back on Danny, I know I'll always wonder if I made the right decision. If our feelings for each other turn out to be more than a friendship we would be missing out on something special, you know? I could also miss out on my chance to be friends with Jo again, too. I don't think she'd forgive me if I _really_ ignored Danny."

"Probably not."

I disregard her interjection and continue spouting out my thoughts. I'm in a rhythm and am close to getting it all out of my head.

"But he has too many secrets. I don't want a relationship built on a rocky foundation of lies. I really think… I don't know what I think." Frustrated, I groan. Maybe saying everything I'm thinking isn't going to work. It's not making me feel any better like I thought it would.

I struggle to release my next thoughts, afraid that if I say it aloud and Clara hears, then it will be real. This is the exact reason I made her swear to never bring up this conversation ever again. If I can't trust that she'll keep her word, then there's no one else that I can talk to that won't judge me and can't just leave me.

So, it's now or never. I'm going to trust my little sister with everything.

"I like him. I like him, but I don't really know him. I want him, but I don't really trust him.

"So now you know. I like him," I repeat with more force, "and I don't know what to do about it. I'm even desperate enough to come to you for advice. But that's _only_ because I can't tell anyone else. I can't trust anyone else, Clara." I roll onto my side propping my head up on my right hand and look at Clara. "So what do you prescribe for me, Doc?"

She silently stares at me for a long moment. I fight to keep my nerves under control and patiently await a response. _She promised, _I remind myself. The moment stretches and I wonder if she weren't paying attention and if I were just talking to myself all this time. I'm about to kick her out of my room when she finally says, "Wow." She's looking directly at me and suddenly seems much older than thirteen. "Can I tell you it's so great that you told me? I promise I won't tell anyone. For real. Not even Amber. Second, you're totally in love with Danny!" And she's a thirteen-year-old middle school student again.

My face falls and I'm unsure if I heard her correctly.

"Excuse me?"

"So maybe not totally," she reluctantly amends. "Maybe you need to get to know him again in order to figure it all out. Maybe he'll stop being so secretive once he gets to know you again, too. But I think you kinda have to break up with Archie either way. And you should maybe try and trust your friends." Her sentences end with rising inflection so it's unclear whether or not she is asking questions and if she expects me to respond. I let her continue, waiting for her to let me know when she has a non-rhetorical query. "At least Phoebe. She's cool, but I don't know about Sarita. If they aren't friends with you just because of who you like, they're not really your friends anyway, right? Now, can I ask a question?"

I sigh and look at her skeptically. "You can ask, but I may not answer."

"Deal." Her smile triples in size. "Do you know if he likes you back? Did he kiss you?"

With a groan I drop back onto the mattress and cover my eyes with my arm wondering how it came to this. Her giggling startles Daffy and she lazily crawls over and flops onto my stomach. I suddenly feel like I'm ten again and a giddy laugh erupts from my throat. I bite my lip, but can't contain the excited energy racing through my body. Just remembering how he felt pressed against me in the park makes me flush with dizzy embarrassment. I haven't been very good about the Third Party Present Rule when it comes to him.

"Yeah, he kissed me," I finally reply and have to cover my ears when Clara lets out a squeal loud enough to rival the most hardcore One Direction fan. Daffy instantly joins in with a low howl of her own.

I'm still not one hundred percent sure of what I'm going to do about Danny, but I do have an idea that whatever I choose Archie isn't going to like it. I'm no longer giddy as I think about how disappointed he's going to be the next time he sees me.

* * *

Deputy Sandra Dewitt and Deputy Edward Garrett sat in Chief Masterson's office staring at the necklace the search team found two nights ago in McNally Lake while their boss paced behind his desk.

"I'll be damned," Dewitt whispered in astonishment. "The kid was right. How long have you been sitting on that, sir?"

The chief shrugged and continued pacing.

"It doesn't prove that Karen or Danny Desai put it there," Garrett said crossing his arms over his chest.

"If Rico says he saw Karen Desai throw this in the Lake, I believe him, Eddie," Chief Masterson stated.

Garrett chuckled. "Good luck getting Karen Desai to admit it. I think lying goes hand in hand with being a Desai."

"Or being a mother protecting her son. Or being a teenager," Dewitt added, matter of fact. "Ok, we have a necklace. We still don't know where it fits into the puzzle. No one knew anything about it when we had a picture of it, what will they be able to tell us now that it's real? What next? We've still got nothing on the paint from the missing murder weapon."

"I just know that finding this necklace implicates both of them. Either she's covering for him, or he's covering for her. At the very least they're obstructing justice," the Chief insisted.

"What about going straight to Mrs. Desai? See if she'll talk. Didn't you just get her that job to butter her up? Maybe she'll finally let something slip," Garrett suggested.

"You are charming," Dewitt added with a smile.

"Already attempted," Chief Masterson admitted. "After you turn someone's house inside out they no longer find you that charming." He resumed his pacing. "But you're right. I need to speak with her again. And Danny. Am I getting old or are teenagers getting smarter?"

"A little bit of both, I reckon. And you're getting soft in your old age," Garrett laughed. "But he's still just a kid and they're never as clever as they think they are," he finished seriously.

"We also might want to talk to his friends again. Even Jo. They may know more than they're saying. Like Eddie said. They're just kids." Dewitt stood up and left to answer her cell phone.

Chief Masterson sighed in agreement then shrugged before turning to sit at his desk.

Garrett stood and hesitated before finally saying, "I know it's a long shot, but maybe the connection we're looking for isn't between Tara Desai and Regina Crane. You said the necklace is a Desai family heirloom, right? Maybe Regina had a connection to another member of the Desai family. A different dead relative, perhaps?" Garrett bowed slightly and left.

Brow furrowed in concentration, Chief Masterson tapped at his keyboard. Garret just might be on to something. It was going to be another long night of research. Tess was not going to be pleased.


	15. Secrets Don't Make Friends

**Chapter Thirteen**

Secrets Don't Make Friends

* * *

My life needs to get back to normal sooner rather than later. For days I've struggled to find the perfect moment to speak to Archie about our relationship, only to chicken out and continue to play the role of the perfect girlfriend. I've deleted over a dozen texts from my sister telling me she's available if I need to talk. I should have included no texting or annoying me by being way to understanding in her promise. I've also continued ignoring Jo and Danny in school while privately pretending our friendship is mending.

With all the disorder in my world, I don't know why I regret committing to hanging out with my friends tonight. Sure, it is a school night and I have tons of homework, but I need to get back in the swing of things socially. I really need to get back to my normal routine and the homework will have to wait.

Moreover, being Lacey Porter requires that I never forget that I'm being judged by my peers almost every second of every day. I am the girl that most of the freshman and sophomore girls want to be. In fact, I bet a few of the upperclassmen ladies wouldn't mind being me, too, and taking my spot on the throne if I slip up. If I can't do the job then someone else will in a heartbeat.

If people knew what a mess my life is these days… But that will _not_ happen. I refuse to let them see how not in control I am. Lacey Porter has to be perfect. I can't afford to keep my social life on pause if I want to make it through high school intact.

Tonight everyone will see that I'm still the fun girl they've come to know and love. I'll reconnect with my girls while reestablishing my relevance on the metaphorical Green Grove High School Walk of Fame.

It just really sucks that Danny and Jo can't seem to comprehend this.

They're here at Phoebe's brother's "Drink with the Dead Soiree" as if they party with us all the time. Do they really have to be so obvious about drinking their drinks on the fringe of the group like lost wallflowers and throw loaded glances my way every other minute? I can't exactly be who everyone expects me to be and enjoy myself with them sucking all the fun out of the cemetery.

After thirty minutes of this I somehow wind up agreeing to meet them at a secluded spot further in the graveyard. It seems Jo wants to tag team Danny for answers this go round. That's fine by me.

She starts us off and I add in my two cents whenever she pauses for air. After a minute it seems like I'm crashing and burning again, but because I'm heeding the Third Party Present Rule Jo is here to witness my ineffective questioning skills. Lacking skills and all, at least Danny's starts opening up to us. Unsurprisingly, nothing is ever simple with him.

His first revelation is a shock. He was kicked off the soccer team today for allegedly poisoning another player.

The graveyard is silent for a long moment, the three of us digesting this latest bit of bitter truth. Finally, Danny tops that reveal by adding that he's pretty sure Archie framed him for it.

"Archie wouldn't–" I start and Danny finishes for me.

"Do something like that? Are you sure, Lacey?"

I'm fairly ashamed that I can't just tell him I am one hundred percent sure of Archie's trustworthiness. In fact, if what he's saying is true, what does that say about my judgment, character and credibility?

Still, I am not about to let Danny see me starting to doubt the integrity of my boyfriend. I don't even know if I can really trust anything Danny says. If I could, Jo and I wouldn't be standing here cross-examining him.

I glare at him arms crossed, Jo apologizes and Danny responds by taking another swig of his beer. The three of us are at an impasse.

Finally Jo brings up his Aunt. "You can trust us," I insist.

"It's not about trust, Lacey!" he snaps, tipping the bottle back for another long drink. _Then what is it about?_ I want to yell back, but hold my tongue. You can't reason with anyone while they're staring into a beer bottle.

I look at Jo and think that we're actually working quite well as a team, but then she blurts out our big secret. She tells Danny about what I discovered in the tenant database of the Connecticut apartment building, completely ruining our point about not keeping secrets from each other.

I'm not sure if it's the alcohol heightening his sense of betrayal or if keeping that information from him really was unjustified, but the look in his eyes is of someone who just got sucker punched. And the look is all for Jo as she expounds on the possible connection between his dad and Regina.

She doesn't deserve to be dangling on the hook solo, especially since I'm the one that initially decided to keep the discovery from him, so like an idiot–or a good friend–I jump in to take some of his ire. "Maybe his death wasn't an accident. Maybe whatever happened to him could be connected to Regina's murder."

With a nod, as if he expected this, he sneers, "Now, who's keeping secrets?" Throwing a disappointed look at both of us he walks away.

I suddenly feel like Danny must feel every time I've left him before the conversation has come to a mutually agreed upon ending. It's not a good feeling. Not even a full second later Jo scurries after him. Again, I feel my frustration mounting. When did everything get so out of control?

I grind my teeth and stand in the cemetery alone, two hundred percent sure that I still completely suck at interrogations.

* * *

They would never let her son be happy in Green Grove. At times like these, she missed her husband the most. She wished he were still around for Danny to go to for advice or anything else fathers provided their sons.

Karen Desai refilled her third glass of wine and reflected on her son's life over the past month. She had been so excited for him when he talked about the boy on the soccer team he met every morning for extra practices. In spite of a cold reception to the team, he'd connected with another player. Yet, today he'd been pried away from that joy. It was obvious that something drove him away, but she'd pretended to believe him when he told her soccer just wasn't his thing anymore. Whatever happened must have been awful if it was able to force him to leave the sport he loved enough to put up with the constant animosity from most of his teammates. She hoped he would still be friends with the sole welcoming teammate now that he was no longer on the team.

As she sipped from her glass, she grew angry thinking about how her son so seldom got the opportunity to experience normal teenage joy. Things weren't going well for Danny, but at the same time she was glad to see a glimpse of real emotion, even if it was unhappiness, on his face today. Karen felt conflicted about the fact she was a little pleased that he was hurt enough for her to see it when he returned home early after school today.

That expression proved he wasn't a sociopath because sociopaths didn't feel real human emotions. He couldn't fake a troubled look like that and still be what most people thought he was. Not a chance. He was a normal teenage boy, experiencing normal teenage setbacks and teenage angst. Well, maybe not setbacks typical for every teenager, but he was dealing with them like a normal young man his age even though the level at which they kept coming was far above average.

The only positive parts of his life nowadays were Jo and Lacey, and from day to day it seemed that would change depending on the breeze. She knew that his relationship with Lacey was complicated due to her social standing at school, but if she were a true friend then that shouldn't matter. Karen still felt let down by the girl's inability to admit that she and Danny had been together the night of the death of Gloria Crane's daughter. She didn't understand the kids these days. If they were grown up enough to do the act, then they should be grown up enough to speak about it and admit it when questioned by the police. Instead, she'd had to speak up about it and Danny once again made her feel like she couldn't do anything right.

As for Jo and her son's relationship, it was a work in progress. Karen didn't have a problem with the girl so much as her parents. They were trying to force their opinions on their daughter, which wasn't helping matters. Tess seemed to be slowly coming around and that would eventually lead to Kyle's reluctant acceptance of their children's friendship. That is if he ever stopped trying to pin a murder on her son.

Basically, Karen understood that Lacey, Jo and Danny were still struggling with relearning how to be friends. She hoped they'd figure it out sooner rather than later because he needed every friend he could find.

In the meantime, Karen Desai would do her best for her son. She would help him be as happy as possible while they remained trapped in this shithole town. Once he graduated from high school he would be eligible to have the conditions of his parole reevaluated. That meant he could go to college in a city far from here and have the number of required check-ins reduced. He could really start over then. And he would get that opportunity if his mother had anything to do with it.

She'd taken a risk getting rid of the necklace tying him to the murder of that girl. She mostly believed he had nothing to do with it and was being framed, but why take any chances? She was being friendly with the Mastersons. She'd paid Tess to allow him to join her pottery class and hoped he make friends there. She'd even shared a friendly meal with Kyle in hopes of learning more about the investigation. Not that Kyle had anything to share. He was more interested in what she had to tell him, which was absolutely nothing without a lawyer present. In the end, Karen was sure she'd get more information if she hired a private investigator, but she didn't have the funds.

Instead, she had contacted a student at a nearby college that owed her a favor. He was getting a degree in criminal justice and offered to look into a few of her concerns. Hopefully, she'd have some good news for Danny later this week. In the meantime, she'd make sure her son was protected and that Kyle Masterson was looking for that girl's killer in any direction that led away from her son.

She had a feeling that things were finally looking up and she poured herself another drink in celebration of her new job and the many good things the future held for her family.

* * *

Phoebe was the only person really looking out for Lacey, so it gave her great pleasure to see that her plan to remove Sarita from Green Grove High's In Crowd was perfectly on schedule.

She and Lacey had been getting closer over the past couple weeks and Lacey had even invited Phoebe to a sleepover where they'd giggled about hot boys, celebrity gossip, and who made the biggest fashion faux pas in school. But because Sarita was also there, Phoebe knew Lacey couldn't share any of her most private thoughts.

Because Sarita made fun of Phoebe and felt the need to harshly judge everyone, there was clearly no way Lacey would disclose anything personal anywhere Sarita could accidentally overhear it. She wasn't the kind of friend Lacey could trust. She wasn't the kind of friend Lacey could count on. Not like Phoebe.

Phoebe knew that the reason Lacey had been so secretive lately was all Sarita's fault. If not for Sarita, Phoebe knew Lacey would have dished about her relationship with Danny Desai.

Phoebe was definitely a good and loyal friend to Lacey.

When she witnessed Lacey, the golden girl of Green Grove High School, approach a murderer in the cemetery—the same murderer suspected of killing her best friend turned arch nemesis, Regina Crane—instead of screaming for help at the top of her lungs, she quickly hid behind a mausoleum and watched.

And being a good and loyal friend who was also shocked and a bit curious, Phoebe patiently waited and tried to wrap her mind around reasons why Lacey would secretly meet with the delinquent that probably killed Regina. Phoebe conceded that Danny Desai _was_ more attractive than the average sophomore. He was very appealing in an "I've been to prison so nothing scares me" kind of way.

Still, Phoebe knew Lacey must have had some qualms or she wouldn't be meeting with him within shouting distance of her boyfriend. However, if that were the case, she would have told her friends instead of sneaking around behind Archie's back while he hung out at Phoebe's lame older brother's party a few tombstones away. On second thought, there was no question as to why Lacey wouldn't tell Sarita, but it quickly became clear why Lacey hadn't told Archie.

When Phoebe witnessed the two come together in a passionate kiss she wasn't quick to judge like Sarita would have been. However, she was quick to wonder if this was how Lacey chose to deal with the death of their beloved friend; she considered if Lacey was acting out; questioned if Danny Desai was forcing Lacey to do this; and speculated whether Lacey had real feelings for him.

Watching them led Phoebe to a sudden and important realization.

Lacey Porter knew that Danny Desai was not responsible for the death of Phoebe's former best friend slash arch nemesis. She wouldn't be hooking up with someone she thought had killed Regina. That being the case, it was abundantly clear to Phoebe that the killer probably wasn't even on the police's radar and could be anyone that knew Regina. Maybe even someone partying in the cemetery tonight. Someone she'd been wary of and hadn't trusted in a long time.

With her newfound understanding and as the good and loyal friend she was, Phoebe quietly returned to the party and left the mismatched couple to enjoy themselves on top of some oblivious dead people's graves.

Upon returning to the festivities, Phoebe signaled for Tyler to tell his friend Marcus, the junior Sarita was crushing on, to keep Sarita entertained with his many muscles and neverending tales of his summer adventures; she ensured Archie's hand never wanted for a bottle of beer; and she told the few nosey tagalongs that asked that Lacey was dealing with parental drama on the phone.

This was one more unspoken confidence bringing Lacey and Phoebe closer while Sarita was delicately being edged out of the inner circle. As she settled in the lawn chair with a can of soda, Phoebe carefully watched the teens around her. She could almost feel the soft, comfortable cushion that came with her position as Lacey's newest BFF. While Sarita shamelessly flirted with her crush, Phoebe thought to herself, _Poor, clueless Sarita,_ and smiled towards the mausoleum.

* * *

Tess walked into the living room after a long day, surprised to see her daughter sitting in the dark room staring into space.

"Everything okay?" Tess asked her daughter.

"Yeah, fine," she responded distractedly.

Clearly, everything was not fine and Tess meant to do what she could to be there for her. She turned on a lamp adding a small patch of light to help her better decipher Jo's expressions. Taking a seat next to her, Tess asked, "What's the matter?"

Jo finally turned her unfocused gaze to her mother. "Nothing. I'm all good. It's just–"

Tess didn't need to hear any more of the bullshit so she cut through it quickly. "Jo. I'm your mom. You can tell me anything. You know that right?"

After a pregnant pause, Jo seemed to find the mettle she was looking for and whispered, "It's just… It's about Danny."

"What about Danny?" Tess hastily asked like a fierce mother tiger ready to protect her cub with tooth and claw.

After a short struggle to find the words, Jo looked at her inquisitive parent with a grave expression. "I think I have fe–"

Tess nearly gasped in surprise, but just managed to keep her cool. Mostly because of her talk with Danny earlier assuring her that he had no romantic interest in her daughter. She nodded encouraging Jo to complete the thought.

"I like him, Mom."

Tess's heart broke a little. "Oh, Wow." Her poor little girl was falling for the wrong guy. A guy that she could never be with for numerous reasons but one that stood out above the rest. Tess hoped Jo never had to find out why Danny would never return her feelings. "Jo that's…" Tess needed to take another breath to remain calm and sympathetic to her daughter's distress. "That's totally normal. You and Danny have been through a lot of intense stuff together, so it's only natural that you might have developed a crush."

"It's not a crush," Jo was quick to clarify. "I think I'm in love with him."

Tess hankered to hug her baby girl and protect her from these detrimental feelings, but she knew that would only cause Jo to shut down and potentially refuse to ever share anything personal with her mother again. So she bit her tongue and gently asked, "Are you sure?"

She saw the relief in Jo's eyes that she was being taken seriously. "I don't know. What should I do? Should I tell him?"

She longed to tell Jo that she was too young to been in love. She wanted to advise her to not rush into these feelings. She yearned to cradle Jo's heart and wrap it in pound of bubble wrap so it would never be broken. But, with a heavy heart, Jo's mother delicately said, "You and Danny are a complicated situation. I just want you to be careful. And I want you to be happy." And she hoped that was enough.

* * *

**AN: **And there you have the second chapter of the weekend! I honestly never meant for the pacing to be so slow, but thank you for hanging in there. You readers are my bread and butter and keep me motivated to move this along. Many thanks for all the constructive, enthusiastic, and thankful feedback.


	16. Out of My System

**AN:** That should be the final update of the weekend! FYI, I did shorten it by a lot and it still clocked in at almost 4K words. I'll really really try to keep the chapters much shorter from now on and just post multiple chapters or parts of a chapter. If it's easier to read that way on FFN, please let me know. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter Fourteen**

Out of My System

* * *

_Dear Lacey,_

_143 more days. You probably have no idea what that means. I know you're making new friends and all, but I still hope I can be part of your life when I'm finally outta here._

_I've been thinking a lot about Western Australia lately. I think I'd want to travel around that part of the continent for a while. There aren't as many people there. Maybe lasso a kangaroo and ride an emu. Would you like that? Me, you and Jo could swim with the dolphins and hunt for jellyfishes. You can't freak out like you did with the frogs. _

_Are your parents still crazy? How's Clara? How about the dog? I'm excited to play with the puppy. She probably isn't a puppy anymore, right? I'm still excited to meet her. _

_Well, Lacey, it's time for class. I'll talk to you later._

_Your friend,_

_Danny_

_PS. It's been 902 days since your last letter. _

.

I've finally decided to go through with it, but I can't bring myself to do it in front of our friends so I signal for Archie to come meet me out front. It takes a few seconds for him to get away from his buddies at the booth, but he gestures toward me and they understand. I close the door and move to the side of the restaurant to wait. I can't believe what I'm about to do. I don't want to hurt him, but I can't keep kissing Danny and be a good girlfriend to Archie. Neither of us deserves that. Clara was right. Ending it now is for the best.

When he sees my expression his smile turns into a flat unhappy line. I can feel my eyes starting to water.

"Archie," I start, lowering my nervous hands to my sides. "We need to talk."

His brow creases as he steps closer. "Are you ok?" He sounds so worried about me. I don't want to do anything to make him hate me. In fact, I almost change my mind about breaking up with him when he asks, "Did something happen after the party?"

I carefully watch him to discern if he knows how close he is to the truth, but find nothing distrusting. Shaking my head I say, "I've got a lot going on right now, Archie. Regina, her mom, my parents, and tons of other stuff."

"You're stressed. I get that. I've been trying to give you space."

"I appreciate that, but–"

"You need a break," he finishes solemnly. "Are you breaking up with me?"

Without thinking I shake my head to deny it, but stop myself a moment later. "I've been really distracted lately. It's not fair to be in a relationship with you right now."

"It's the psycho, right?"

"What?" I'm shocked by his vehemence as he spits out the hated nickname. Why is he bringing Danny into this? I'm making it a point to keep him out of it.

Frustrated, Archie turns to face the street. He quietly begins to yell, "None of this would be happening if it wasn't for that freak coming back to Green Grove. He kills your best friend and because the police can't find any evidence you're forced to see him every day at school. What the hell else are they paid to do?"

"That's not it," I tried to explain.

He faces me and gently says, "It's ok, Lace. He'll get what he deserves." His tone is menacing and not at all reassuring. My heartbeat speeds up erratically. I take a few small steps away from him. I don't think he'd hurt me on purpose, but he doesn't seem to be thinking straight. I remember he was drinking earlier in the cemetery, but I'm unsure how much he's had.

"Archie, that's not–"

He cuts me off again before I can finish and I jump when he reaches for me. He doesn't notice. I loudly exhale when he gently wraps my hands in his. "I understand. Take all the time you need. I'll be here for you whenever you're ready."

I'm completely thrown and really confused, but he is no longer angry, yelling, or freaking out, so when he pulls me into his arms I force myself to relax and return his hug. "I'm sorry, Archie."

"We're gonna be ok, Lace." I don't bother trying to decipher what he's thinking. I simply nod and give him a small apologetic smile, figuring I've pushed him far enough for one evening.

He offers to walk me home, but I decline telling him I have my mom's car. He nods, throws his shoulders back and struts into the diner.

That went better than I'd expected. But that doesn't mean I don't say a little prayer hoping I'm making the right decision. In fact, as I walk to my car, I pray for it really, really hard.

* * *

–_I broke up with him_

I sit in the driver's seat of the car staring at the text. I regretted sending it as soon as I pressed "Send" five minutes ago and my anxiety increases with each passing second of silence. I'm such an idiot. Now, I've made things awkward between us. I really should have thought about the ramifications before releasing it into the universe.

Another long minute passes without acknowledgement and I start to make excuses for why I'm not getting a response. Maybe his phone died, or the ringer is turned off, or Danny's totally ignoring me because I've confused him with too many mixed messages and he thinks I'm a crazy bipolar cat lady.

I close my eyes and force myself to take a deep breath. Maybe I'm overanalyzing this and panicking over nothing.

An abrupt chime shatters the suffocating silence causing me to jump, nearly dropping the life-altering device. It takes me a moment to work up the courage to look at it without falling back into a panic. Taking another deep breath I raise the phone and read the message.

–_Are you ok?_

I read it several times before its meaning registers. The sudden rush of relief has never been needed more. A second chime accompanies a new message.

–_Do you want to talk?_

I feel like all I've been doing is talking lately. As helpful and freeing it was to have some "girl talk" with my sister, if I go home now, Clara will look at me with unvoiced questions–that I don't want to answer –in her eyes. Phoebe and Sarita wouldn't understand anything I had to say even if they could remain calm long enough for me to explain everything. And if I were comfortable sharing my feelings with Jo… Our relationship just isn't at that stage yet.

There's no one else I can think of who would be the least bit understanding about my dilemma. In short, I have no idea how to respond so I type the only thing that makes sense.

–_Can I come over?_

He responds immediately. –_Yes_

–_On my way. ETA 5 min_

The sense of relief fades as I set the phone in the cup holder and pull out of the JohnnyCakes parking lot.

I hope I know what I'm doing or figure it out on the short drive to the Desai house.

* * *

I've decided that I don't know what the hell I'm doing.

I don't remember ringing the doorbell. I only remember Danny opening the door and smiling when he saw me. I hear the front door slam shut as I'm suddenly pushed against it. Danny's body is pressed against mine, thighs to chest, and he's kissing me before I have a chance to utter, "Hello."

My hands eagerly flank his face. Somehow his hair is liberated from the elastic band and I'm threading my fingers into his thick, dark hair.

"No one can know," I murmur between kisses. I think the grunt, more of a growl, against my throat is agreement. "Just need to get you outta my system," I reason.

"Me, too," he groans. "Outta my system."

His hot kisses trail to the opposite side of my neck as I continue to vaguely set some jumbled ground rules. "Only tonight. Doesn't mean anything. Tomorrow nothing changes." I'm trying to remove my jacket to give him better access to my throat, but that becomes impossible when he presses himself up against me again trapping my hands behind me.

"Uh huh," he enthusiastically assents kissing his way back up to my mouth.

It's almost impossible to focus with his hands caressing my hips and thighs while his lips take control of mine. I don't know if he's trying to pull me closer or hold be at bay. I suddenly remember that I haven't finished establishing the rules. I tug one arm free of my jacket and grasp at him. I pull his head back with a firm grip on his hair forcing him to focus on my words.

Looking into his eyes I softly say, "Only tonight, Danny. You understand?"

He nods. "I understand." His tone is serious but his smile is playful. "You're mine for only tonight."

I nod, unsure of what I've just agreed to and decide to add, "And just so we're clear, we are _not _having sex." I'm pleased to see his smile become toothier.

"Crystal clear," is his husky reply.

After a beat, I feel his hands slide around my waist. With a raised brow, he silently requests permission to continue the amorous assault.

With a slow, seductive smile I release his hair and allow myself to relax into the embrace.

When we decided to go up to Danny's room and the trip up the stairs is a blur. I just know that we end up in his room, and there's more kissing after he asks if I really broke up with Archie for him. I don't recall confirming my reasoning for the breakup, but reason or none Danny isn't deterred.

The specifics of what happened between then and now are a bit hazy. I only know that I like it all and I don't once think about anything other than how good Danny Desai is making me feel. I want to feel this way forever.

* * *

Honestly, Sarita would have preferred to learn something interesting in a class like Creative Writing or Journalism, but those classes were full of nerds and Sarita wasn't about to be surrounded by anyone out of her social circle on purpose. Unfortunately, the unwelcome, never-ending return of Phoebe to their table in the cafeteria and coveted space in the sophomore lounge was cause for reevaluating who was officially included in said social circle.

The bitch was everywhere these days. It had been funny when she was shamelessly pimping herself out to the carnivorous reporters and glorifying her relationship with Regina, but it stopped being funny the second she sat at their table for the third time, uninvited, and acted as if she belonged next to Sarita and Lacey. And now she'd been doing it for weeks. That wasn't the way things worked at GGHS. She'd fallen from grace and hadn't done the requisite groveling to exit the shadows of obscurity. Even worse, when Lacey returned to school after some kind of nervous breakdown, she'd acted like Phoebe belonged with them. Just because Regina was gone didn't mean Phoebe's penance was gone with her.

Sarita did not get the text announcing Phoebe shame-free and cool again, which meant proper protocol was not being upheld. Did no one remember that she'd infected Craig with some gross anal disease? Well, Sarita didn't forget, nor did she forgive.

Over the past couple weeks, Sarita had ignored her, but Phoebe was too so busy sucking up to Lacey to notice. When Sarita chose to acknowledge the brunette's presence and take the time to insult her, Phoebe simply took it in stride. Sarita recalled an instant from just the other day.

"You are totally working those boots."

"Really? Thanks. I got them at–" Phoebe enthusiastically started, startling Sarita with her presence. Where did she come from?

"No one cares. I was talking to Lacey. Why are you here?" Sarita didn't wait for a response and continued her conversation with her friend despite the less than pleased look she received from Lacey. "You should come with Marcus and me to Manhattan this weekend."

Try as she might, Sarita still noticed Phoebe lurking in the background happily following the duo as they walked to class. The girl could not take a hint.

And lately Phoebe had been getting bolder. She'd been getting comfortable and confident enough to start initiating conversations. Then there was yesterday. She'd sat in Sarita's seat right next to Lacey. The hooch didn't even acknowledge Sarita's arrival with a glance. She'd simply continued the conversation as if Sarita's being there was unremarkable. On top of that, Lacey never corrected her.

Then there was Phoebe's unexpected attendance at the sleepover last week. At lease Sarita's presence was noticed and in demand that night. Lacey practically begged Sarita to stay and play nice with the interloper.

And yet, Lacey remained oblivious to Phoebe's shadiness. Sarita had spent a lot time being shrewd and was immediately able to recognize it when she saw it. Sure as shit Phoebe, the wolf in sheep's clothing, was up to something. Hers was the expression of someone trying to keep a rabid cat inside its bag. And for that reason Sarita knew that she would definitely benefit from letting it out.

If Sarita had anything to say about it, Phoebe's attempt to re-climb up the social ladder was about to come to an abrupt halt. People would soon remember that in no universe was Phoebe Lewis more relevant than Sarita Marrero.

* * *

I suppose I lied when I told him that it would just be one night. I think he's already figured as much since it's the third night in a row that I've shown up at his house after dinner and ended up in his bedroom.

We're still fully dressed minus our jackets, socks and shoes and he relaxes on his bed with me at his side. My head rests on his chest as I listen to him slowly breathe in and out. The movie on his laptop next to him has just ended and neither of us seems ready to call it a night.

I feel his heartbeat speed up and know he's about to say something that scares him, thrills him or both. "You were my first, you know? That night at Fall Fest, if you don't count the time you and Jo dared me to kiss you both when we were ten, that night was my first _real _kiss." I don't know how I feel about that. There's a lot of happiness and some sadness mixed with a touch of pride, amazement and a pinch of confusion. Maybe I should have made a no talking rule for the night. Then again, rules and me haven't been blending well together lately.

I don't have much time to think about that before he's speaking again. "These past few days in school," Danny pauses to take a slow breath. "Not being able to touch you…" His hand caresses my arm from the top of my shoulder to the tips of my fingers. "I hate it. Hate it almost as much as being locked up." I interlock my fingers with his and bring them up to my lips for a soft kiss. His heartbeat speeds up again and I hear the smile in his voice. "This is definitely much better than reading in a smelly cell." He raises our hands to his lips and kisses the back of my hand.

I raise my head and catch his gaze. It's probably not the best time to ask, but he's opened the door I'm going to take advantage of the opportunity.

"What was it like?"

His head falls back into his pillow and I crawl up so my head is next to his. He gives my hand a light squeeze and runs his callused thumb over my knuckles.

"It wasn't fun. It was lonely. It was a fight every day just to eat breakfast."

"What about the guards?"

"They were there to make sure we didn't kill each other. Other than that, it was survival of the fittest." His eyes are closed and it's clear he's uncomfortable discussing this. I kiss his cheek and he turns to face me eyes wide open. I playfully peck his lips.

"I'm glad you survived," I whisper against his mouth hoping to distract his dark thoughts with a kiss.

"You helped," he breathes against my lips.

I pull back, confused, and ask, "How did I help? I tried to forget I ever knew you."

He briefly looks away from me towards the door, then after a short internal debate he softly nudges me off of him. With a sigh he props himself up against his headboard and pats the space next to him.

I try to be graceful as I sit next to him but am sure I'm more awkward than nimble. We sit silently for a few minutes. I lean into him, resting my head on his shoulder and softly repeat my question, "How did I help, Danny?"

He quietly cleats his throat. "Thursday was my favorite day, you know?"

I smile as I ask, "What happened on Thursdays?"

"I don't know why that day, since the mail probably didn't take that long, but in my mind Thursdays were when you'd get my letter. When I wrote to you every week, 'cause I usually sent them on Monday, I imagined you waiting to hear from me every Thursday. So that was my favorite day." He nervously brushes his fly away hairs from his face jostling me a little. "You would rush home right after school expecting a letter. When you saw it, you'd have the biggest smile and rush up to your room to read it. Then you'd call Jo and read it to her and you'd both be so happy that I was okay."

In an effort to give him some veiled support and to disguise that fact that I don't know what to say, I take his hand in mine.

"Then when I didn't hear from you anymore, I kept imagining you were still reading them and you just got too busy with everything to write me back. I'm glad you never told me to stop."

This isn't fair.

I sit up, turn my face away and breathe deeply holding the tears at bay. I am not going to cry, but I feel the telltale signs of guilt creeping up on me. I asked him to stop keeping things from me, but I never expected him to tell me all of this. It's too private. And it's too soon.

"Knowing that you were out there reading my letters got me through each week, Lacey. Hell each day. I had to make it to Monday so I could send you the next one." I hear a faint self-deprecating laugh.

I want to know what happened in there that was so terrible, but I'm more afraid I won't like knowing the answer. He squeezes my hand and gently tugs it silently asking me to face him again.

In an attempt to help us forget the past for a little while I face him with a cheerful smile–certain the moisture in my eyes is back to normal–and crawl into his lap and ask, "Do you know what today is?" I slowly trail my fingers up his arms until I can grab hold of his face in my palms and tenderly press my lips against his.

The fervor behind my lips quickly escalates until I'm kissing him hard, claiming his mouth, exploring, devouring until we're both breathless. "It's still my favorite day of the week," he responds with a grin and then sucks my bottom lip into his mouth adding a little sting with a nip from his teeth. I compensate him with a moan and nip his lip in return. When he's not being silly to avoid any serious discussion, I love how playful he is with me.

We part a long while later and I look down at him wondering why he's halted our makeout session. He moves a lock of hair behind my left ear.

"Why are you friends with people that don't know who you are?" he softly asks with a frown. "You deserve so much better."

With a groan, I roll away from him and onto my back next to him. I really should have suggested that no talking rule. He slides down on the mattress, but remain in contact with my body from shoulder to hip.

Shrugging halfheartedly, I close my eyes. "They were there for me when I needed them. You don't know what it was like after you left, Danny. Jo was always_ so_ difficult to be around. Phoebe and Regina were the exact opposite. I guess I thought being around happy people, even if it was pretend, would make me happy too."

He nuzzles my ear, but I turn away from him again so he's facing my back. "It's okay, Lace," he whispers apologetically. I know he's attempting to ward off my change in mood by playfully nuzzling my ear again. After a brief silence he puts a hand on my waist and turns me back toward him, but I still refuse to look directly at him.

"Did it work?" he asks. I can't stop myself from wincing.

I suddenly realize that it's way past my curfew and I need to get home before my mom notices the car is missing. Despite the turn in the conversation, I don't want to leave. I figure I'm probably going to be grounded for a long time after tonight anyway, so I may as well make the punishment worth it.

I slowly turn my face toward him and with a small smile say, "I'm happy right now."

I poke him in the ribs and he let's out an unmanly squeal. I can get a little silly when I want to avoid a serious discussion, too. We're suddenly laughing and wrestling for top position until he finally overpowers me holding my hands above my head.

_I'm gonna need a little more time to get him outta my system_, I think as he makes my toes curl with a blistering kiss.


	17. I Spy

**Chapter Fifteen**

I Spy

* * *

It frustrated Rico that people were constantly letting Danny Desai distract them from their lives. He had the PSATs to study for and wasn't about to let anyone divert him from becoming a National Merit Scholar. He just wished Jo could be as focused as he was.

She recently seemed to be abandoning her passion for school related knowledge to uncover the mystery that surrounded Danny Desai. It didn't help his frustrations that her newly discovered crush on the teen felon was in full bloom for everyone to see. That is everyone except for Danny, who was crushing way too hard on Lacey Porter, a girl way, way, way out of his league. So out of his league that while Danny counted on his fingers and toes Lacey was completing linear equations.

Sure it was an exaggeration, but their differences in social circles was just that drastic and their previous history wasn't going to help close the gap any time soon. He needed to realize that Lacey just wasn't interested.

However, Rico felt bad for the guy but sometimes Danny seemed to create his own chaos. For instance, he was currently chasing Lacey all over school in front of everyone oblivious to the whispers and venomous glares aimed his way. He was already an outcast, but if only he could observe his behavior from a different angle, Danny would see that the debris from his havoc was starting to leave scuffmarks all over Lacey's armor. She was obviously working hard to ignore him, but like a bee, he persistently buzzed down the hallway, trailing behind her, in an effort to grab and hold her attention. So one-track-minded was he, that only a second ago, he'd just–by a hair–avoided running into someone determinedly rooting through their locker.

In the back of his mind, Rico briefly noted the student was the too attractive shark who happened to be eyeballing Jo a lot recently, before Danny's dramatic dive in front of Lacey pulled him away from that thought.

Rico's eyes quickly strayed from the drama developing around Danny and Lacey to return to curiously observe Tyler, VP of the AV Club, trolling through a locker that most certainly wasn't his. Rico clearly remembered that Tyler's assigned locker was on the other side of the school near the science department because when Doug had to pick up a flash drive from Tyler last week he wouldn't stop complaining about it being so far from where the AV Club had their meetings.

Anyway, that stuff didn't matter to Rico any more than what they were serving for lunch in some Texan middle school cafeteria next Monday. What mattered were his grades, PSAT scores and his friendship with Jo, and on a smaller scale, his friends in the few clubs in which he had time to participate. As long as he stayed focused and minded his own business everything in his life would be just fine. Now, if only he could find a way to convince Jo to do the same.

The fuzzy headed blond slammed the locker shut and walked away stuffing some books into his backpack. Rico shrugged off his questioning and quickly reminded himself that from now on he was staying out of anything remotely mysterious that didn't involve a pencil, paper and a quadratic equation. Right now, he needed to stay focused on gathering his own supplies to successfully get him through his morning classes.

* * *

Danny's footsteps were deliberate and measured as he moved behind Lacey. She was not slowing her pace, but he easily matched her step for step. Last night he shared a part of himself he hadn't expected to reveal so early in their relationship and wondered if she might feel like exposing herself in a similar manner. He hoped she'd admit that their friendship had, in fact, progressed to a more mature, much friendlier level. Speaking to him at school would be one way to show that. Or it might be fun to test how far she'd let him push her.

"Are we really doing this again? It's okay to 'talk' to me in private day after day, but not in the school hallway?" "Talk" wasn't the word he was looking for, but it was the most discrete one he could come up with in the gossip hungry halls of the high school.

"That's what it looks like," Lacey said as she turned a corner.

Danny dodged a student opening a locker and hurried to catch up with her. "I might be way off, but are you still afraid to be seen in public with me?" She should have been over that, since they'd sort of hooked up each of the last three nights and she'd broken up with her boyfriend just before that. Yet here she was dodging him again as if carried a contagious illness. It was becoming a habit he intended to help her break.

"Well hello, Captain Obvious," she said drily, warily glancing at the throng of students eavesdropping on their interaction.

Tired of the cat and mouse game Danny darted ahead of her to cut her off before the next corner. She stopped short just before running into him while skillfully evading eye contact with him.

"Ooh, I like the sound of that. Captain!" He playfully raised his eyebrows before allowing his eyes to oh so slowly peruse her from head to toe then back again. She swiftly averted her gaze, reminding them both of their unwanted audience, but couldn't prevent a small smile from gracing her lips.

Danny found watching her try and control her body's reaction to him endlessly entertaining. "Look, Lacey, we don't have to be friends publicly, but you could at least look at me. I think I deserve a 'Hello' maybe even 'How you doing?'" he teased. He also liked to see her eyes darken with desire when she knew he was watching her, but if she didn't look at him he couldn't see the kernel of yearning bloom in her eyes.

Unfortunately, she didn't take the bait.

"Look, Danny," she spoke mimicking his tone, nicely covering the gap in her breathing. "We don't 'talk' okay? Not here," she added sotto voce.

"Of course, your highness. Can't have the commoners mingling with the royals now, can we? I beg your pardon." He was only half joking as he delivered an exaggerated bow, mostly to benefit the onlookers, and left her ambling to his first period class alone.

It was a shame she wouldn't allow herself to relax and converse with him in the open, but he understood her hesitation. Even so, he could be as stubborn as she was, twice as clever and three times as determined. Danny would eventually get her where he wanted her, even if it took all year.

* * *

In deference to Lacey's wishes, Jo patiently waited around the corner for them to walk away from Lacey so she could speak with her privately about a Danny related issue. She would never understand what Lacey saw in those girls. Sarita rarely smiled and was excessively mean. Phoebe never thought for herself and followed the herd. At her core, Lacey was a different caliber of person than them, but she refused to believe she was not naturally the same breed of popular. At the end of the day, Jo knew all three were always going to be far too worried about what everyone else thought about them instead of saying "Screw what anyone else thinks!"

From her hidden vantage point at one end of the hallway, she watched Tyler Lewis strut up to the girls with a toothy grin. "Sis!" he called from at least ten feet away. "Please, thank your beautiful friends for attending my Drink with the Dead Soiree and bringing some much needed class to my birthday celebration."

"You're welcome, Tyler," Lacey said with a sassy smirk.

"We already celebrated your birthday, bro, which means the world no longer revolves around you for at least another year," Phoebe stated with false cheer. "So what can we do for you?"

"I'm so glad you asked, little sis. Sarita, Marcus seems to have taken a liking to you. Please try not to break him until after he's declared Prom King. I've got fifty bucks riding on him winning."

"I'll see what I can do, Tyler, but no promises," Sarita giggled.

Jo almost gasped when she witnessed Sarita's smile reaching her eyes. Would wonders never cease?

"And Lacey, I've been trying to get in touch with your friend, Jo. She hasn't responded to any of my texts so I wanted to be sure I had the right number for her."

"Your _friend_, Lace?" Sarita's smile disappeared as if it had never existed. "You're hanging out with her again?"

Lacey looked at Phoebe who was glaring at Sarita, then back at Tyler.

"Why would I have her number, Tyler?" Lacey shrugged defensively.

"I've seen you guys the past few days and didn't you two talk for a minute at my party? You seemed pretty cool with each other for not knowing each other," Tyler said with some confusion. Lacey shook her head denying any connection with her secret acquaintance.

"Lacey dropped that troll a long time ago, Tyler. Whoever you saw her talking to must have been someone else," Sarita spoke up spewing attitude from every orifice. Jo clenched her fists, shocked Lacey let Sarita insult her without so much as a glower or even a partial frown in response.

"My mistake. Whatever." Tyler said raising his hands in surrender. "If you happen to see her, will you tell her I'm looking for her?"

Sarita raised an unhelpful eyebrow and tilted her head as if to ask, "Really?"

"Or not," Tyler slowly backed away from the trio leaving them to plot world domination or whatever.

Jo slinked back around the corner, disgusted with Lacey's utter lack of backbone and failure to stand up for her and their budding friendship. Jo no longer felt the need to wait around and speak to Lacey. She'd send her a text instead.

So long as Lacey cared more about her precious reputation and her standing with the in-crowd than she did about the people who really cared about her, their progress as friends might as well be moving backwards. It was looking more and more likely that by the time Lacey was ready to come out about their friendship, Jo might no longer have any reason to be friends with her.

* * *

The fort is neutral territory, but I don't want to go in there. I'm sure Danny's in there waiting for me with Jo thinking about how much I totally suck as a human being. Once I'm in there I'll have to face him. At least I'm finally following the Third Party Present Rule and not meeting with Danny alone, which seems a little ironic at this juncture. As I delay the inevitable, I'm sure they're spending the time discussing the ways in which I've offended them both over the past month and why they no longer feel a need to rekindle our old friendship. I would completely deserve that.

The way I've been ignoring him at school for the past few days and then showing up at his house later as if I have the right, must be pretty confusing to him. It's definitely confusing to me. I'm sure it'll be totally awkward after the way I pretty much ignored him all day.

Jo has also been confusing me. I thought we'd been getting along pretty well, but when I saw her in the cafeteria today, she glared at me like I'd just called her mom a bad name. For the record, I never did any such thing, so I have no clue why she's angry with me this time.

I am just hoping that once I go inside, Jo's presence will keep him from making his irritation with me too obvious and Danny's presence will keep Jo from scowling at me. I need to stop dawdling and start giving my excuses for not being better than I am. Taking a deep breath and then slowly exhaling, I rustle up the most confident parts of myself and finally decide to enter.

Taking the final steps through the woods I push open the curtain to our childhood stronghold. I start speaking as soon as I enter. "No one knows anything about any Connecticut boytoys, apartments, secret boytoys, poison or the necklace. I'm sure all my friends, and everyone I know, think I've lost it after Regina's death since I keep asking them the most random questions every time I have a conversation with them. I even asked my mom about Danny's dad. She had absolutely nothing to say other than warning me away from the Desai's. Frankly, I'm all detectived out." I'm going to pass the hell out if I don't breathe.

Jo laughs. "Take a breath, Lace."

I send a restrained smile her way, surprised to find no trace of contempt for me in her face. "It's just exhausting, Jo." I doubt she interprets my statement the way I intend it, but it's a relief to see her nod in agreement anyway.

I see Danny sitting on a crate to my left watching me and force myself to include him in the conversation. "Have you guys discovered anything new? Anything about Danny's dad from your moms?"

He grunts shaking his head but says nothing. That's odd. Jo throws him a questioning look that he ignores. Finally her eyes return to mine and she crosses her arms. She's stealing herself to something I won't like.

"I think it's time we showed my dad the letter." So, that's what's been bothering her.

I surprise her when I nod. "Yeah. I agree."

"Really?" she asks.

"We've tried. That's all I wanted, Jo. Plus, I've had a lot of time to think about it. My sleuthing skills are not helping anyone, Regina least of all."

"She can be taught," Danny quietly jokes as he gracefully gets to his feet. "Now that that's settled, there's something I need to say." He takes a step forward and Jo takes a step back. It's clear she knows what he's about to say. I guess they really were talking about me behind my back. Has he told her about us? I should have expected it, but I can't help feeling betrayed.

I force my muscles to relax and fight to keep from taking up a defensive stance. I need to relax and maturely accept what's about to happen.

"First, I gotta say that I'm okay with how you treat me at school and in public. Jo and I completely get that you don't want anyone knowing you're friends with us. But honestly, Lacey, if you keep acting like you can barely tolerate us when other people are around, one day it's not going to be an act. I don't think you really want that."

So that's what they really want to talk about. This is kind of out of left field.

Even though I know they have a point, I can't keep the tension out of my body or my defenses from snapping into place. They're probably thinking I'm going to respond defensively, and they're mostly correct. This is not something I'm going to just take lying down.

I'm certain something that happened today has prompted this intervention, but I honestly can't think of a singular instance since I haven't said one negative thing to or about Jo or Danny in days, excluding my avoidance of them, but I'll play along.

"Have I recently disrespected you, Jo?" I demand looking past Danny to see her bright eyes under her uneven fringe. She looks to Danny. It's exactly as I thought: she doesn't have an answer.

"We just want you to really think about what you want in the long run, Lacey," she says.

I'm about to respond when Danny abruptly continues, "We care about you, Lacey." And out of nowhere I'm verbally bitch-slapped by the opponent with cunning eyes. "Being popular and being a bitch are not synonymous."

My attention snaps back to Danny.

An intense, concentrated ache in my chest takes my breath away. _Did you really just say that to me? _I don't realize how much their opinion of me matters until this instant. My defensive shield has been sliced in two and I feel the burn start to build behind my eyelids. I don't know when I closed them, but I refuse to reopen them until I get my shock and distress under control. _What do I really want? _It takes me a few breaths before I'm able to blink back the tears.

"What?" I finally say, opening my eyes.

"You heard me," Danny replies with a weak smile. Did I just hear remorse or was that amusement when he said that?

The ache in my chest suddenly lessens. The burn behind my eyes is going away and I can focus again. He's attempting to let me off the hook and I feel like a coward for letting him. I also feel a huge sense of relief. I don't want to think about the question. It completely disgusts me that only a few words from him can hurt me or heal me. I hate that he seems to be aware of this. Even worse is that although I am now aware of this, my freaking synapses are bypassing the common sense area of my brain and reveling in his attempt to take away the sting.

Something is definitely wrong with me. My eyes finally connect with his and all I see is the gentle heat behind his hazel eyes burning into mine. The corner of his mouth faintly tilts upward and his signature smirk is settling into place. My palms are suddenly sweaty and I've completely forgotten the question. The desire to wrap myself in his arms sideswipes me and I catch myself taking an unexpected step forward. Yes, he's completely aware of the affect he's having on me. His pupils rapidly expand and I can't remember except how I want to be closer to him.

He doesn't have the same difficulty.

He shrugs, smirk still in place, and tonelessly says, "I just thought you'd want to know. We're friends and we can call bullshit when we see it, right?"

It's mortifying that he's able to provoke such intense tunnel vision so effortlessly with me. Right away, I remember where we are and that Jo is hovering closely at Danny's side.

What the hell just happened? I'm not sure I really want to know. I mostly just want to get out of here and away from Danny as quickly as possible.

I swallow down my embarrassment and with a tiny nod I say, "I guess." Looking at Jo, who has completely missed the silent exchange, I quickly apologize, "I'm sorry, Jo." Because I really do want to be a better version of who I am, I add, "If I do anything to offend you, even if it's in front of my friends, I want you to feel like you can tell me. I promise not to get mad."

I actually feel good about that and for the first time since Danny's return, I realize that I truly do miss the friendship we once had and like that we're building a new stronger one from the ground up.

She steps out of Danny's shadow and smiles. "Thanks. I will."

The smug jerk is still smirking. I huff and look away. That's another win for Danny.

_You arrogant, manipulative boy,_ I think._ Two can play this game_. But I'm not sure which game we're playing now and I'm even less confident that it's one I might win in the end.

* * *

Chief Kyle Masterson spent the last twenty minutes lecturing the three teens sitting in his dining room, but he knew without a doubt they were still hiding something from him. Young often went hand in hand with inexperience and a general lack of wisdom, also known as ignorance, and his daughter was no exception.

"I understand you're trying to protect Danny, but you need to stop hiding things from the police. You have no idea how difficult it makes it to solve this when you're being dishonest, keeping secrets and snooping around like bad amateur detectives."

"Is there anything else you've left out?" He got the feeling mostly from Danny, but even his daughter seemed to be holding something back. He held each teen's gaze for a few seconds before taking a seat at the head of the table and releasing a deep sigh.

"I'll look into this first thing tomorrow morning. I need each of your word that if you remember or find _anything _else you'll come to me right away."

Lacey nodded immediately. "Yes, Chief Masterson. I promise."

"Sure, Dad," Jo agreed.

"Danny?"

"Yes, sir. I'll come to you right away with any new info." Because of the small smile, it was unclear if he was being sincere or patronizing. Chief Masterson forced himself to ignore it and treat Danny with the hostile indifference he employed with any smartass punk that entered his interrogation room.

"And you'll stop trying to do my job," he ordered. "This isn't a game."

"We understand that sir," Danny replied. Jo and Lacey nodded.

"I don't think you do. When you left the state, you violated your parole, Danny. Lacey, this is the second time you've obstructed this investigation. And Jo… I want to trust you. I do. But you're making it impossible for me right now. Do the three of you understand what a difficult position I'm in? A position you've put me in?"

Silence and apologetic looks were his response.

"Just…" After a long moment he rubbed the back of his head and told them, "Just get out of here." No one moved. Looking at the young people at his dining table he released a frustrated sigh. "Now would be a good time for you to head on home." Danny and Lacey immediately jumped to their feet mumbling their thanks and goodbyes and then rushed out of the Masterson house. Jo hesitated. Kyle turned his back to her prompting her to leave and head up to her room.

Kyle was fuming and afraid of what he would say to his daughter right now, so it was best that she left him alone. He angrily stared at the envelope on the table in front of him.

Those ignorant teenagers had most likely ruined all evidence of fingerprints on the letter, cash and envelope. He hoped the address would lead to something useful, but wasn't putting much faith in it.

He couldn't quite understand what drew Lacey and Jo to Danny. Even his wife was starting to fall for his charms. He'd love to bottle up some of Danny's charisma and use it on suspects during interviews.

For now, he'd settle for some new leads in this convoluted investigation. Even if they came from some meddling kids.

* * *

**AN:** Not sure how I feel about this one. Not much forward momentum. :) Another HUGE thank you to the folks that leave feedback. And thank you to those that read and don't have much to say. You're still AOK in my book.


	18. Rain Check

**AN:** Brace yourselves. There's no Lacey POV in this chapter. GASP! It ended up being too long, so it'll have to wait till the next one. Thanks, as always for sending positive energies my way!

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

Rain Check

* * *

_Dear Lacey,_

_Toothpick left today. I thought he'd be more excited to get outta here, but he wasn't excited at all. Paul says he's got nothing waiting for him on the other side of the walls. He was here too long._

_That got me thinking about you and Jo. You'll still be there when I come back, right? I wish I could make the days go faster. _

_Remember when we camped out in Jo's backyard the last Saturday before fifth grade started? We watched the sky all night long looking for a shooting star so we could wish to be friends forever and ever. When we didn't see one we decided to be blood brothers instead but you were afraid it would hurt. Do you remember how you and Jo finally decided to seal the promise? I'll never forget it. _

_That was the best campout ever. _

_I promise one day we'll do it again. _

_Your friend,_

_Danny_

.

Nothing was going according to plan. Day after day, he fought the fight and ran the race, but the challengers never stopped coming at him and the race had no finish line in sight.

Already the notorious scapegoat for all happenings bad in Green Grove, Danny could not catch a break. Attending a public high school was supposed to put him on a level playing field with his peers, but returning to Green Grove was turning out to be more taxing than anything he'd ever experienced in juvenile detention. At times it felt that the only difference between then and now was he had more space.

Having served time for the death of his aunt was complicated enough without being publicly accused of murdering a classmate as soon as he returned to the sleepy town. Then being privately accused of harming another student shortly thereafter made his blood burn. The one bright spot of the situation was that for now that rumor was contained.

Even so, he couldn't sneeze without half the town flinching and subsequently accusing him of contaminating the air with his delinquent germs. Constantly monitoring his responses to their reactions was exactly like being in Juvie all over again. Another similarity was how afraid of him everyone was.

He knew his knowing smirk was off-putting and that people read all sorts of things into a knowing smile if you let them, but he couldn't help himself. It had quickly become a reflex that got him out of many a hairy situation when his opponent questioned the meaning behind the expression. And Danny would grant the people of Green Grove his knowing looks as often as possible if it kept them out of his face.

After almost a month in school, he was growing tired of trying to get everyone to like him. As it stood, most of his teachers were still wary of him and it seemed unlikely to be on track to change. The students and townsfolk gossiped about him behind his back, called him names to his face and were constantly assuming the worst of him. Forcing himself not to react when suspicious parents yanked their children to the other side of the street whenever they saw him was becoming tiresome.

The biggest difference between the past five years and his current life was the company he kept. Namely the beautiful hurricane known as Lacey Porter. She blew back into his life turning everything he thought he knew about their friendship on its head, and now, after nineteen hours of freezing him out, she was back to secretly being his… awkward ride home.

After the intensity of their encounter in the fort yesterday, he was glad that Lacey was finally speaking to him again, so didn't immediately question her. When she hadn't shown up at his house last night, he realized he might have pushed her too far, too soon. Looking back, he knew he could have presented his observations in a kinder manner, but he'd wanted to have a bit of fun with her at the same time. And for what? To show her that he'd call her on her bullshit when needed? She already knew that.

He was certain his words hadn't affected her as much as the circumstances. Minutes after she'd retreated from their childhood sanctuary it had quickly become evident that he'd embarrassed her. He'd revealed one of her weak spots in front of Jo no less. And yet, for some reason, Jo remained remarkably oblivious to the sexual tension that unmistakably littered the air whenever he and Lacey were in sight of one another. Thus, he guessed that she'd also missed the reason for Lacey's bizarre reaction; maybe she hadn't even noticed the way Lacey's breaths had gotten shorter or her abortive attempt to reach out to him.

Although Danny wasn't sure why Lacey cared so much about keeping their non-relationship a secret from her, he knew that had Jo been more perceptive he could have ruined all of the headway he'd made with Lacey in less than a heartbeat.

He'd been texting her all day and left her an unrehearsed, impassioned voice message all but begging her to give him a ride home after school. Seeing her short text in response, agreeing to pick him up at the end of the soccer field, lifted a weight off his shoulders he hadn't known he'd been carrying. He'd raced to the end of the parking lot and dove into the passenger side of her car before she had a chance to change her mind about the ride.

As soon as she tapped on the gas Danny blurted out, "I'm sorry."

Lacey shrugged. "It's fine."

"So we're good?"

"Do you really think–"

"No," he responded before she could finish the question. "You've got one of the purest hearts of anyone I know. I think you just get lost sometimes. That's all."

She glanced at him as she made a right turn and he saw a sliver of a smile edge its way onto her face. "Pure. Yeah, right."

"It's true, Lace." He reached across the car and before he could touch her she shied away like a skittish filly. Danny remembered that touching out in the open where people could see was definitely not allowed. He pulled back his hand and brushed back his hair from his face instead.

"I meant about Jo," Lacey corrected dismissing his clumsily abandoned gesture.

"I know."

"Did she–"

Keeping the irritation out of his voice, Danny calmly answered, cutting her off again. "No. She didn't notice anything."

Half the time he didn't know how to act around her, afraid he'd do something to scare her off for good, and the other half of the time she let him think that he could do no wrong making him feel like she'd always be there for him. Rubbing his palms against his thighs he shifted to a less serious topic.

"So, I invited Rico and Jo over for a game night, tonight. It should be a casual night of teenage silliness, you know. How can you go wrong with structured fun in a box?" Danny self-consciously laughed but didn't pause long enough to let her get a word in. "Remember when we used to play Monopoly and couldn't stop until somebody either won or fell asleep?"

Lacey unexpectedly chuckled. "We were naïve enough to never accept that the game doesn't end. I swear I really thought if we played long enough I'd be able to beat you." She trailed off as her words sunk in.

"It was never about beating anyone, Lacey. We just liked spending time together."

"Sure," Lacey said skeptically. "I don't think Jo got that memo. I think she really, _really_ wanted to win."

Danny laughed and a second later Lacey joined in.

"You're really amazing," he said softly under his breath. Lacey stopped laughing rather abruptly and Danny saw her sit up straighter tensing her fingers around the steering wheel.

If anyone, she and Jo should be the people he didn't have to monitor his responses with all the time. With a sigh he turned to look out his window and stayed silent for the rest of the drive. He held out hope for that happening one day soon. For now, he'd settle for one day off from worrying about how she was going to react to him. Maybe tonight would be that night for both of them.

* * *

He debated whether to wait until he had more news to share or tell what he'd discovered in an email to his contact right away with the promise of more answers to follow in the next email. He sighed and rubbed his face in frustrated exhaustion. He was hungry and beyond tired.

He sat alone in the booth staring at the empty desktop of his laptop. He replayed his most recent conversation with Mr. Iwata and startled himself when out of the blue he began laughing hysterically. The waitress looked apprehensively in his direction. He quickly stifled the unexpected outburst. _Of course this is more complicated than I expected._ His father always loved riddles so it made a twisted kind of sense that the riddles wouldn't end just because his life had.

"What do you know about the set?" Mr. Iwata had asked in a high-pitched voice that complimented his appearance to a T. Mr. Iwata was a tiny man with patches of gray hair unevenly scattered on his shiny brown head. He removed his thin spectacles and distractedly wiped them with a folded corner of his orange apron.

"It's old and it's been in my family for years," the younger man replied with a careless shrug.

Shaking his head, Mr. Iwata shuffled to a workbench located at the back of his jewelry store. It was littered with various pieces of metal, glass and mixture of tools that might be found in an auto garage, science lab, or a jeweler's workshop. He mumbled something that sounded like, "No respect," and picked up a long silver chain from a small box on the workbench. Spinning on his heel he shoved the chain under his guest's nose. "What do you see?"

Taking a cautious step back the younger man glanced at the piece and responded with a cavalier shrug, "I don't know. An ugly silver necklace."

"Psh, no respect," spat the tiny old man as he thrust a small cylindrical object towards him with his other hand. "Look again."

With a raised eyebrow and a sigh, the younger man stared at both objects with confusion. After a long silence Mr. Iwata's hands began to shake. "Use the loupe, boy. Take them and take a good look."

With sudden understanding, he took the ancient eyepiece and chain from the jeweler and brought the loupe up to his right eye. Holding the silver chain beneath it revealed absolutely nothing of interest. He was about to pull the loupe away from his eye when the sudden intrusion of a bright light caused him to wince and close his eyes. When he opened them again the object in front of his right eye had transformed. He pulled away the loupe to blink away the vision only to see a satisfied smile on Mr. Iwata's face beneath a sharp light attached to his forehead. "What do you see?" he eagerly repeated.

He moved closer to the light from Mr. Iwata's headlight and lowered the silver chain so that it glinted brightly in his palm. Lifting the loupe to his eye again, he bent over the metal in his palm and took a closer look.

"What the hell?" he whispered. "Are those numbers?" He moved the chain and noted the impossible amount of numbers delicately engrave onto each link of the chain. "What do they mean?" he asked raised his head in amazement at the beaming Mr. Iwata. "Wait, why are you showing me this? What does this have to do with my necklace?"

"Yours was the first."

"First what, old man?" his patience was thinning and his stomach was beginning to announce that it was fast approaching mealtime.

"The first piece of the set, boy. What else? Your father commissioned my services when he was just about your age. I promised I would not share its secrets with any but his children gifted with the password."

The young man swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. He could not believe his luck. He was so close to getting some answers only to be stopped at the door because he didn't have some stupid password. "My father is dead and his password died with him," he explained with pained regret. "He didn't have time to give it to me."

The old man's bark of laughter startled his guest into nearly losing his hold on the awkward eyepiece. "Of course he did." He pointed to the red jewel hanging from the chain on the young man's neck. "The password," he explained.

What happened next was forever seared into his brain. Once the red and gold pendant was securely nestled in a vise under a soft light, using the loupe he took a close look at the red jewel. The sequence of numbers seared into the ornament did not make any sense to him, but upon closer inspection he noticed that together they created a familiar pattern. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked the old man.

"Depends on what you think it is," Mr. Iwata said mockingly.

"It looks like together they almost make the shape of a fish," he responded skeptically.

"Not almost," Mr. Iwata responded defensively. "A Pirate Perch to be exact," he mumbled absently. The younger man's stomach loudly rumbled and he shrugged sheepishly in response to Mr. Iwata's glare. "No respect. Just like your father. Go home, get food and come back tomorrow. You can ask your questions once your belly stops speaking for you."

"But I just found you. We're just getting started."

"Tomorrow!" the balding old man bellowed in his high-pitched voice.

He hadn't been ready to leave and was prepared to let his stomach continue its loud complaints but Mr. Iwata had been adamant. So he sat in the empty diner with more questions than answers staring out the window unconsciously petting the pendant dangling from the chain on his neck.

His stomach grumbled again insisting it be filled. He rubbed his faced and sighed again before closing his laptop and picking up the menu. He really had no idea what he would put in the email to his contact right now anyway. _Food first, answers tonight_, he told himself as he turned to the dessert section and looked for something that would satisfy him for a few hours.

_Food first, answers tonight._

* * *

Tonight was supposed to be a break from the chaos also known as his life, but as Murphy's Law would attest, plans were bad jokes no one laughed at.

Tonight's events were to be centered around a low key get-together in which a handful of people including Jo, Lacey, Danny and Rico, could relax, have some fun and spend time together without worrying about the troubles that had recently become the norm blanketing their gatherings.

Unfortunately that plan was quickly derailed by a huge miscalculation on Danny's part. It was a disappointing oversight that he didn't recognize until he and Lacey were pulling up to his house a few hours before Game Night was scheduled to begin. It hadn't even occurred to him that he should ask if Lacey wanted to come. He simply took for granted that she'd want to be there with him and Jo.

Danny unfastened his seat belt as Lacey anxiously looked over her shoulder out the driver's side window.

After a moment, when she didn't immediately respond to him thanking her for the ride he took a breath and exasperatedly said, "Are you worried that someone might recognize your car?"

"No," Lacey said too quickly. Realizing how insincere she sounded, she sighed and let her head fall back into the headrest. "Cut me a break okay?"

"You're right," Danny said with a frown. "I'm sorry." He was getting tired of constantly apologizing to her, but simply sent her a half-hearted smile. Tonight was going to be low maintenance and worry-free. "Oh, and when you come over later, can you bring paper plates and cups? My mom okayed the Game Night, but doesn't want us ruining her fancy china with our uncivilized food and drink."

After a long pause, Lacey turned to face him and reluctantly stated, "I never said I was coming tonight."

Unsure if he'd heard her correctly, he stammered, "What? What are you talking about? I thought we were good." Lacey didn't respond. "Come on. We don't have to walk around holding hands, Lacey. But I really want you to be there. There'll be nutrition-free snacks and board games till we puke. It'll be fun. Me, you, Jo, Rico and a couple other people…"

"Yeah, people who aren't my friends," she replied thoughtlessly. "I just think it's a bad idea."

Danny stopped himself from saying the first thing that came to him. He also swallowed back the second and third things he wanted to say. Lacey was confusing him so much, but without her giving even a little in compromise he was getting closer to his wit's end. After another loaded pause he finally let out a frustrated breath and said, "I don't know what you want from me, Lacey. I'm trying here. I really am."

"I know you're trying," she softly replied full of cheerless sincerity. "I just don't think that a game night is going to solve anything."

"But it's a start. It's better than what I've been doing. Blending into the background. Hiding. Hoping that things are gonna get better. That's not working. I don't want to have to worry about who's watching us hanging out. I just want to chill with you and Jo without having to solve a mystery all the time. Can't we just be normal for one night?"

"So one game night is gonna make everything normal and suddenly everyone's gonna forget about your past?" she asked cynically.

"Everyone? Not everyone is gonna be there, Lace!" He really looked at her and it suddenly clicked. "I don't think this is about other people forgetting about my past. This is about you. And me. You're scared to call this what it is. With everything going on if it's making it weird to redefine what we are I get that. Lacey, I really do. But just let me know when you figure it out because I don't want to get hurt." Danny exited the car.

"It's not–"

Danny leaned into the doorframe. "It's not what?" he queried curtly.

After a short struggle to come up with an answer, Lacey gave up and didn't respond.

Danny impatiently bit his lip shaking his head. "Got it. I got it." He nodded once, not wanting to say anything to upset her further. He was always thinking about how his actions and words would make her feel, but it was time he started thinking about his own feelings. "Have a good night," he said, shutting the door with every ounce of restraint he had.

"Danny, wait!" He faintly heard her shout, but ignored her as he continued up to his front door. He thought it best to leave the conversation at that: an agreement to disagree. They both needed their individual space to deal with whatever _this_ was.


	19. Change of Heart (part 1)

**Chapter Seventeen**

Change of Heart (part 1)

* * *

_Hey Lacey!_

_You should get this they day before the big 15. I know it's not much and you'll probably think it's cheesy, but I hope you like it anyway._

_Through a wood dark as night in a world cold and black_

_I fight the fight day to day keeping the fierce beasts back._

_In a forest so green beneath clouds snowy white_

_You help me remember it's gonna be all right._

_Nothing can compare to your strength or your grace_

_To your charming brown eyes or your kindhearted face._

_With the purest of hearts you are one of a kind._

_More amazing a friend would be impossible to find._

_I wish I could offer you a gift to equal your worth _

_More than gold, money or diamonds you're the greatest gift on Earth._

_So with these words please know what your friendship means to me._

_I'll cherish it every day. Happy Birthday, Lacey!_

_Love,_

_Danny_

_._

Apprehension, fear of the unknown, anger, and desperation mingled, making the woman's gut flip-flop like the first loop-de-loop on a roller coaster ride. She pulled into the poorly lit lot, parked in an empty space and turned off the engine. Checking that the envelope was still securely tucked in her purse, she put on her sunglasses before exiting her car.

Pulling up the hood on her sweatshirt to better hide her face and prevent anyone from recognizing her, she quickly approached the door with the number one-seventeen neatly painted above it. She tapped a quick tattoo and waited. Seconds later it was yanked open, a bell jingled and she shoved her way inside.

"What are you doing here?" The man asked in a high-pitched voice. "This wasn't what we discussed. You can't be here right now."

She held up the envelope and threw it at the balding man. Her earlier apprehension was quickly giving way to anger.

He snatched the envelope off the shop floor and inspected its contents. "Where's the rest? This can't be everything? We had a deal." He tossed the envelope on the display counter behind him, careless of the contents spilling onto the glass.

"Deals can be changed," the visitor brazenly responded. "You proved that earlier."

She moved closer to the old man, hugging her purse to her stomach. He took a few tentative steps back until the back of his left knee brushed the fire extinguisher against the wall. He swallowed nervously, stammering, "What do you have in mind?"

She stood directly in front of him. He struggled to remember that although he was much shorter than her, he was physically stronger and because she needed what he had, he was in the position of power. "Bring me everything just the way we discussed it," he told her. "You have to go now."

"Don't tell me what I have to do. I'm sick of you telling me what I have to do," she growled in his face.

He smiled. "Maybe you should have thought about that earlier. Until our business is finished, you'll keep doing what I tell you to do. That's the deal." He stood up straight and brush some dust off his apron.

Shaking her head she said, "Didn't I say? I'm changing the deal."

The much older man saw the glint of the metal object she removed from her bag and had just enough time to think, _No respect, _before he fell to the floor.

* * *

I don't know how to deal with Danny Desai. I don't understand how I keep ending up as the bad guy with him. "Danny, wait!" I shout after he carefully shuts the passenger door. I'm not going to change my mind about attending the party but if I can just get him to understand why I feel the way I do. He doesn't turn back, but I'm mostly okay with that since I have no idea what else to say if he does. I watch him walk into his house unable to make myself exit the car and follow him.

I don't get how the conversation started off with him apologizing to me and by the end it had done a complete one-eighty and I was feeling like the one who needed to apologize. I never even said I was going to his impromptu gathering, so there's no reason for him to be upset about my lack of interest.

It's not like we were going to be able to do more than glance at each other once or twice an hour while playing silly games all night anyway.

I sigh and shoot a final look toward his house before deciding to head home. With a look over my shoulder across the street before pulling away from the curb I am reminded of what started tonight's argument. _Dammit!_

I can't help it if I feel a need to be cautious about our behavior with each other in public. If one of the people he invited says something about me being there to the wrong person how would I explain that? After what happened yesterday, how would I even explain my presence to Jo _and_ Tyler? He doesn't know how not to ask questions. Danny may think Jo didn't notice anything in the fort, but she's not an idiot. When it all clicks into place, which it eventually will, I don't want her to go back to hating me. For now, I have to keep lying to everyone about what's been going on between Danny and me since I don't even know how to begin to explain it.

As I drive past the houses, I can't control the exponentially increasing feelings of guilt for making Danny stay in hiding with me. I know I'm being pessimistic about his expectations, but nothing he does is going to change how anything in Green Grove works until Regina's killer is exposed. A little more time with this secret shouldn't make a big difference, right? Even so, we're never going to get away from the fact that he killed his aunt.

An unexpected sob slips out. _Why am I interested in a guy that killed his aunt?_ This is so unfair. Although I know he took her life, I still can't fully reconcile those actions as behavior linked to one of my closest childhood friends. The Danny I know doesn't hurt people.

This cynical line of thinking causes the grouchy child in the back of my mind to throw a tantrum because nothing is going the way that I want. I feel like I can't have everything the way I want it because what I want is impossible. Yet, at the same time, I'm completely aware that I don't mean impossible in the most realistic, sensible meaning of the word, but impossible in the way a lazy person uses it. At least I'm self-aware.

I tell myself there's no way that Danny and I will work and that what I want with him is simply beyond my reach, but I know those are out and out lies. The truth is that I'm not willing to do what it takes to make it work. I'm not willing to give up anything I've worked so hard to achieve over the past three years just to have a tiny possibility of short-lived happiness with him. Hell, I couldn't even go to a tiny game night with a handful of people just because he was hosting it and there was the tiniest of threats that our secret would be exposed. I'll never admit it out loud, but I think I kind of like the idea of having such a forbidden secret. Maybe I like it too much. However, knowing all of this doesn't make my inner tantrum any less immature and tiresome.

I take deep breaths hoping to loosen the tightness in my throat and stave off the tears pulsing behind my tear ducts. I pass McNally Park and decide to pull over to compose myself. Unfortunately, once I'm in a secluded spot I notice the tree next to the spot where Danny and I first kissed. A tear trickles past my left eyelid prompting a rush of followers. _It's not fair,_ I think as I struggle to wipe away the flood of water streaming down my cheeks.

I'm not a crier, but since Danny's come back to Green Grove I've had the urge to tear up more often than I have in years. I fall apart and all he has to do is smile at me to make it so I'm back in one piece for a little while longer. He makes me want more than I should; makes me question the reasons why I doubt myself; makes me want to venture out of the safe place I've built around myself over the years.

I flashback to half an hour ago when he effortlessly took my breath away by whispering, "You're really amazing." I was so grateful he was looking out his window so he didn't notice me having a mini panic attack as I slowly continued down the road. I had to keep blinking away the moisture in my eyes so I could read the street signs.

I swallow down a hiccup and fish through my book bag for a tissue. I find one just as I hear my phone ring.

It's Phoebe. I'm thrilled to be distracted from the havoc my harebrained hormones are playing with my mood. I kind of hope she wants to hang out tonight. I could definitely use a long break from the craziness that comes with boys and relationships. However they may or may not be defined.

* * *

Danny didn't have the best track record when it came to party planning. Recalling the uncomfortable dinner with the Mastersons, Rico was skeptical about the spontaneous gathering Danny had invited him to attend. As he approached the front door he turned back to confirm that Doug and Eloise were still behind him before ringing the doorbell.

Danny opened the door with an overly enthusiastic greeting, "Hey there, Rico! I see you brought friends."

Rico and his guests stepped into the foyer. "Well, you said I could bring people. I mean, friends. I thought two would be good 'cause I don't think you wanted the whole team to come. I mean, I invited the Mathletes and the debate team but most people are kind of scared of you. Doug and Eloise were curious and since you know Doug from working with him for, like, a day on the skits, like, forever ago–"

"Dude, relax," Danny jumped in. "It's cool. Doug and I go way back." Doug flinched when Danny held out his fist for him to pound. After an awkward moment, Danny's hand fell to his side and he turned his charm toward the tall female standing behind Doug. "And you must be Eloise." He reached out to shake her hand. Danny nodded once when she ignored it and with a friendly smile quickly waved them further into his house. "Come on in. I've got tons of drinks and snacks in the other room."

Rico eagerly led the way and hooted when he saw the large bag of fried pork rinds with the rest of the goodies on the snack table. Snatching it up, Rico claimed a space in the center of the sofa and opened the bag. "Jo's coming, right?" He asked, popping a pork rind into his mouth.

Leaning against the doorjamb Danny grinned. "Yeah. She and Tyler should be here soon. She texted me a while ago. I think the date was going well."

Rico frowned and glanced at the six-pack of beer on the snack table. He never drank beer before, but thought he might be tempted to give it a try before the night ended. He turned his gaze back to Danny wearing a puzzled expression. Rico noticed him watching Eloise and Doug awkwardly exploring the living space. When Danny caught his stare Rico explained, "They get nervous in new settings." He shrugged and brought another rind to him mouth. "So what's the plan?"

Danny strode to a nearby cabinet and pulled out a stack of brightly colored boxes familiar to Rico from childhood. Danny set them on the coffee table in front of him.

"Game night!" He cheerfully announced.

The doorbell rang.

Rico glanced at the six-pack on the snack table again. Maybe he'd try one of those beers now. It was probably going to be a really long night.

* * *

Despite what Sarita said, Phoebe knew that she had an excellent sense of style. As she browsed through Lacey's closet she silently reviewed her plan to get Lacey to Danny's house tonight. Tossing several items on the bed while Lacey worked on homework from one of her classes, Phoebe was ready to put her plan into action. She held up a cute black dress for Lacey to see, but Lacey's attention remained on her work.

"Come on, Lace. Let's just go to the party for a little bit," Phoebe insisted for a third time. "I think it'll be fun."

Her eyes still focused on the text in front of her, Lacey boorishly said, "Phoebe, stop. It's not happening. Why would I want to go to a party at Danny Desai's house? We weren't even invited." The lie was obvious to Phoebe as she watch Lacey scribble something into her notebook before saying, "If you really wanna crash it, get Sarita or, like, Jana to go with you."

Phoebe lowered the dress. "First of all, Jana's at home sexting Scott. Second of all, we were totally invited by my brother. Third of all, Sarita wouldn't be any fun. And fourth of all," Phoebe willed Lacey to look up from her work to no avail. Putting as much empathy into her voice as she could she said, "I just think a night out would be really good for you right now." She leaned in a bit to softly add, "Post Archie."

Phoebe carefully watched as Lacey's pencil stopped moving. She finally had Lacey's attention and was ready to add the icing to the cake with the final piece of information Lacey would want to know. "Beside's my brother said Danny's Game Night is going to be epic. Apparently something _huge _is gonna happen."  
Lacey was definitely paying attention now. She turned away from her desk to face her friend. "What do you mean _huge_?"

Phoebe shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Um, Tyler said Danny told him to invite whoever. I think he took it literally and emailed half the school."

Lacey's brow furrowed. "It's supposed to be a small gathering, Phoebe. Why would he do that?" she asked.

Phoebe wanted to tell Lacey that she was aware of her secret romance so they didn't need to keep up the charade, but it wasn't the right time to reveal what she knew. Thoughtlessly acting without a strategy is what got her kicked out of her group of friends. That experience taught her it was easier to improvise when she anticipated potential changes to her plans rather than reacting impulsively. Unprepared for any changes, Phoebe stuck to her original script.

"I don't know. He just said we'd all be talking about it tomorrow." She didn't want to add the next sentence, but she could see Lacey straddling the border of deciding whether to act or to ignore. Cocking her hip as she'd often seen Sarita do, in her haughtiest voice Phoebe said, "And it'd be a night the socio would _never_ forget."

Phoebe could almost feel the heat roll off of Lacey in waves. She raised the black dress silently offering it to her. After a brief hesitation Lacey accepted it. When they arrived to save the day Phoebe was sure Lacey would be dressed to kill and camera ready in case Tyler was still recording when she confronted him about his reckless and moronic scheme.

He should have listened to her when she told him not to go with Jo to the game night. He also should have listened when she told him having over a hundred people crash it in order to enhance the drama was a terrible idea. Now he was sure to regret not heeding her advice.

Sometimes, Phoebe hated being so smart.

* * *

Without knocking first, Phoebe throws the door open and we're assaulted by a wall of damp heat infused with a heavy techno beat. I enter the house, Phoebe on my heels and although I'm expecting to see a lot of people, the amount of teenagers dancing and filling every visible inch of the first floor is startling.

Phoebe says something I can't hear, but when she points I understand her intention. Tyler is on the other side of the living room alternating between pointing his large camera at the crush of bodies and fiddling with a laptop plugged into the speakers behind him. I nod at Phoebe and watch as she thrusts herself into the center of the partiers.

I don't see Danny or Jo anywhere, but I'd rather they not be present when I talk to Tyler anyway. I march over to him marginally aware of the people sliding out of my path.

He's facing the laptop when I tap him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Lacey!" he greets flashing all of his perfect white teeth at me. "So glad you made it."

"What are you up to, Tyler? This wasn't supposed to be some big party for you to include in your documentary." I cross my arms in front of my chest.

"You know about my documentary?" he enthusiastically asks shouting over the music. "I guess the word is out. Just like word got out about this little get together." He carelessly shrugs his shoulders and continues to grin. He pulls his camera up and practically shoves it in my face. "You mind if I ask you a couple questions about the socio? What's it like for you now that Danny's back?"

He doesn't seem drunk, or even a little tipsy, so it only makes sense for him to dodge my question if he's hiding something. I wrap my hand around the camera lens and pull it towards me. In a panic Tyler quickly follows me into a quieter, less crowded space a few feet away. As I lower my hand, forcing the camera down with it, he takes another step closer.

I still have to shout, but not as loudly as before. "Phoebe said you've planned something that everyone will be talking about tomorrow. That's why you invited most of the school."

With a hearty laugh, he pulls the camera out of my reach. "I don't know what you're talking about. I only told a couple of people to come tonight and they happened to tell a few more people. Danny's been cool about it. Happy even. It's good for people to see that he's not as scary as they make him sound."

"What about Jo? Did you only ask her out to get to him?"

He laughs again and I completely understand why Phoebe generally refuses to talk to him at school. Nothing he's saying can be taken at face value. His lighthearted jokey demeanor is coming across as self-righteous and dismissive. "Your secret friend, Jo Masterson, is a great girl that I genuinely want to get to know better. Her being close with the socio is just a bonus."

I take a calming breath and step close enough to him that I no longer have to shout to be heard. His smile falters once our gazes lock. "If anything happens tonight to upset _any_ of the original invitees, then I will personally ensure that you get to know me better for the rest of you final year at Green Grove High." I give him a small unfriendly grin and add, "Any more questions?"

"What does Lacey Porter care what happens here tonight?" He raises his free hand up in a submissive gesture. "I'm not admitting that anything will happen, but if it did, don't you think it'd already be too late for me to stop it?" For a moment I see a speck of remorse in his eyes, but that quickly disappears when Jo shows up with two plastic cups in hand.

"What did I miss? I thought you weren't coming." She offers Tyler a cup, but doesn't take her eyes off me as he takes it from her.

I look at Tyler, who's raised a playful eyebrow at our casual interaction and salutes me with his drink at his brow before returning to play with the laptop a few feet away.

Whatever. At this point, it's useless to keep pretending Jo and I don't talk. "I wasn't, but Phoebe said her brother's planning something big for tonight for here. That's why he got so many people to come."

Jo glances at him over her shoulder and skeptically asks, "What kind of something?"

"I don't know, but I don't have a good feeling about it." It's obvious that she doesn't believe me, but I'm more concerned about whether or not Tyler will take my threat seriously. I don't want to expend any energy making his life hell for the next few months, but I will if it comes to that.

I'm about to tell Jo what he basically admitted when Danny appears wearing a surprised smile. "Hey, Lacey. You came?"

Even better. I'll tell them both at the same time. "We need to talk."

I don't think anyone will notice me talking to my old friends, but if they do, it's just talk and it's a party. And by tomorrow morning, it's looking very likely that they'll be talking about something much more memorable.


	20. Change of Heart (part 2)

**Chapter 17 **

Change of Heart (part 2)

* * *

Danny saw the idiot wearing his face wrap the red jump rope around the doll's neck a second time and suddenly felt a cold energy coating his insides. It was like the crust of his mind was an ice-covered pond and he knew there were things moving beneath that numbness ready to break through at any moment. Powerful emotions, hopelessness, burning anger, and paralyzing fear that could hurt him, cloud his judgment, and drive him crazy. Yet, he couldn't see, hear or feel them. As he watched the scene playing out before him, he only knew that those formidable creatures were there beneath the surface and that he had to turn his back on them lest they break free.

The scene was suddenly shattered when the harsh overhead lights illuminated the room and his mother rushed in shouting for everyone to get out of her house. After some frantic minutes of teenagers collecting their belongings and grabbing leftover food and drinks, she turned to him with a fraught expression.

He recognized the creatures he was vigorously holding at bay being reflected back at him in her eyes. On top of all of them, however, was an additional troubling one he indentified as bitter disappointment.

It surprised him that she held him somewhat responsible for what she'd just witnesses along with him and a houseful of strangers. There were a few remaining stranglers that garnered her attention when they strolled over to the snack table and started to pour themselves a cup of soda. "Get out of my house!" she shouted. Afraid of the crazy mother yelling at them, they quickly set down their cups, edged around her and rushed out the front door. Rico was the only one that remained, and Danny was pretty sure he'd just seen Jo walk out the door into the backyard.

Danny's attention returned to his mother who was approaching him with barely contained anger. "I thought it was supposed to be a few friends and board games, Danny. What were you thinking?" she yelled.

He immediately responded defensively, his words coated in sarcasm, "Well, Mother, I thought I'd invite a bunch of strangers over to spice up our boring game night with a bit of role play. I even suggested they use props to make it as authentic as possible." He finished with a sigh and a humorless smile. The numbness was starting to melt, but he forced himself to embrace the cold for just a while longer.

Shaking her head she tried to explain her frustrations. "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad_ for_ you. I know you weren't behind this. Why–?" She lost her words and took a shaky breath as she tried not to break down in front of her son.

Danny, unsure if he should comfort his mother or apologize for his attitude, shrugged his shoulders and casually ran a hand through his hair. He decided to try his hand at an apology. "Mother, it was supposed to be a quiet night with a few friends. I didn't plan for what happened to happen."

"I have to get out of here and get some air. I need to clear my head. I'll be back later," she quickly said once again taking in the mess around her.

He stayed still as she softly touched his cheek. "I'll take care of the mess. I'll see you in the morning," he told her with a neutral grin.

She nodded, rushed to grab a light jacket and then departed through the front door.

Shaking his head, Danny went into the kitchen to retrieve an empty plastic garbage bag. He stilled himself for what was going to be a long, disappointing night and turned his back on the creatures brushing up against the icy numbness inside him for just a while longer knowing that 'just a while longer' would come to an end one day very soon.

* * *

Poor Jo. She deserved much better than Tyler. He'd tap danced all over her trust and couldn't wait to get away from the scene of his mess. I hope he enjoys the calm before the storm, because once I'm done with him, he's going to regret not taking my warning seriously. It's just too bad Jo didn't realize what a snake he was sooner.

"I'm really sorry about bringing that jackass with me," Jo says as she helps Rico to his feet. "I thought," she blushes and doesn't complete the thought out loud. She helplessly shrugs as her friend leans heavily against her back. "I don't know what I thought, but I'm really sorry all this happened."

"It wasn't your fault, Jo," Danny offers, as he prevents Rico from reclaiming his seat on the couch. With a small smile he asks, "You sure you can handle him alone? I don't mind walking the two of you home."

She shakes her head. "How you doing there, wino?"

"Gross. Alcohol is evil," Rico groans and leans into her again.

"It's all right," she says patting the arm he wraps around her shoulder to hold himself steady and upright. "I'm gonna take this drunk guy home."

"I'll stay and help you clean up," I say mostly for Jo and Rico's benefit as she leads her inebriated friend out the front door.

Once I hear the door close, I toss my jacket on the chair next to Danny and timidly bite my lip. It's a nervous habit that Archie found sexy, but as soon as I think of my ex-boyfriend I let my bottom lip fall out from between my teeth. After that ill-timed thought, it takes me a moment to look up again and focus on the gorgeous guy in front of me. I'm such a sucker for the underdog. I can't believe I'm even here when I should be at home studying, but end the end I couldn't let Danny deal with this alone.

Danny sits across from me glowering at the space I'd successfully avoided all night. It's somewhat reassuring that he's no longer fronting about how unaffected he is by the party like he was while Jo and Rico were still here. The reenactment probably triggered several bad memories in him. Or it just pissed him off. Either way, it's intimidating that he feels comfortable enough to let me see him in such an exposed way. What's so special about me?

I turn away from him and see that there is a large rug over the spot where I found her body all those years ago. I shiver and the most terrifying moment of my childhood flashes before my eyes. With a gasp, I jerk back and see I've inadvertently gained Danny's focus. He frowns and it's clear that he knows what just happened, but I hope he doesn't ask. I'd really rather not discuss it and chance another awful glimpse into the past.

His expression instantly alters to his default neutral expression as he looks up at me from his seat on the couch. I guess he's not so comfortable with me as I thought. Rubbing his palms together, he puts on a charming smile, but he also has a look in his eyes that let's me know he's trying to understand something that should be simpler than it is.

"So," he starts right on cue, "you came _and_ you stayed."

It sounds like a question so I respond, "I did." My smile is bright and slightly forced. He tilts his head waiting for me to elaborate, but I wimp out and stiffly avoid the unvoiced question concerning why I came and decided to stay after everyone else left. I already explained the first part to him and Jo before Tyler's henchmen crashed the festivities, so if he's looking for more he's out of luck.

I look around and notice his mom is conspicuously absent. "How's your mom doing?" I ask hoping he'll get the hint that I'd rather not have this conversation or, even better, continue it up in his room and in all likelihood never bring it up again. I can't believe I'm trying to distract him and soothe my guilt with sensual maneuvers, but he completely misses the suggestion in my tone. When did I become this person? I know. It happened the moment he started making my stomach flip and flop every time he looked at me.

With a soft exhale he rests his arms over his thighs and leans forward eyes watching my every gesture. I hope he can't tell what I'm thinking. I bite my lip again and try to keep my weight evenly balanced on both legs but can't stop compulsively shifting from side to side every thirty seconds. Little by little, his eyes travel up to mine I think I see some developing excitement in them.

Maybe he hasn't missed my initial intention. My pulse starts racing and I feel cool sweat on my palms.

Finally he answers, the warmth leaving his eyes, as his voice grows colder with every sentence, "She's pretty upset. She went for a walk. Said she needed to clear her head after all of that craziness."

It's good to know that she's out of the house, but on the other hand, being reminded of what made me race over to his place tonight is a pretty effective killjoy. I dry my hands on my dress. "Yeah, I don't blame her," is my grim reply. I suppose I really should just help him clean up tonight. We don't need to hook up every time we're alone together, do we? We haven't resolved any of our issues anyway.

We stare at each other for a drawn out, undemanding moment. A morsel of humor eventually shines in his eyes and I think that maybe the night won't be a complete wash. With an impish grin he pats some energy into his thighs and jumps to his feet. "Yeah, I thought you were gonna run for the hills after that prank." He makes a wiggly motion with his hand that I think is supposed to be me running over the hills and it's silly enough to bring back my smile.

I attempt to follow his lead and imitate his casual tone. "I kinda did, too." I almost instantly give up on playing it cool and, with a shrug, apologize for freaking out on him before the simple game night turned disastrous house party.

"Don't be sorry," he tells me with genuine warmth. "I shouldn't have given you such a hard time about the secret thing. I _do_ know how much you're risking being with me."

The butterflies flutter lightly in my stomach and I can hardly contain my happiness that he's being so understanding about my reservations and undeniably alluring at the same time. I can't quite look at him and say what I want to say, so I mostly deliver my words to his chest, hoping he'll still get the intended message. "Well, it's worth the risk."

I take that final step into his personal bubble, look into his eyes and kiss him. My heart stops and the butterflies crackle like fireworks under my skin catching me completely off guard. It's only been a day, but I've missed this. In the kiss I ask him to understand my reservations and my inability to come out to my friends, but I also share my intense desire to be with him.

When he enthusiastically takes the lead, I realize he accepts my unspoken proposal and forgives me. Even better, I've forgiven him in return. I can't believe I ever thought kissing him would be a bad idea.

He pulls me closer. We never break the kiss as we start to slow dance around each other and move towards the couch.

I reluctantly pull away from him and take a seat on the edge of the cushion in front of him. He looks a little lost when he opens his eyes and doesn't immediately see me, but once he does, the happy spark swiftly returns. I bite my bottom lip again and playfully tug at the tips of my curls. We've generally hovered safely between first and second base, but tonight feels different and I'm feeling bold. Releasing a deep breath I take the lead and lower the front zipper to my dress. Danny's pupils turn completely black as he virtually crawls into my lap.

Rubbing his nose against mine, which seems weird when I think about it but is actually pretty intimate, he settles on the cushion next to me and attacks my lips with a soft, playful growl. Playtime pauses when I pull my arms out of the dress and suddenly we're rapidly elevating the temperature in the entire house. I impatiently help him remove his blazer and press my chest against his t-shirt-clad chest, hooking my arms around his neck to facilitate more mouth on mouth contact.

What seems like a second later, I'm lying on my back with a shirtless Danny above me grinding his cotton-covered pelvis against my thigh. Our breathing is erratic and I hear the blood rushing in my ears so loudly I can hardly hear myself think. His warm breath gusts against my lips as he tries to muffle a happy groan in response to the pleasurable friction mounting between us. As he trails kisses along my face down my neck, he raises up from his elbows to his hands to create a little more space between our bodies trapping my hands above my head. I'm not in favor of this idea and smile wickedly when I thrust up against him causing him to almost lose his balance. He growls as he steadies himself and I laugh playfully, wrapping my legs around his waist. "What?" I giggle when he stops to give me a questioning look. "I don't want you to tip over again," I explain between giggles. I'm losing myself and have no way of stopping it. Even if I did, I'm not sure that I would.

Shaking his head, Danny chuckles and then moans into my cleavage when I pull his hips down against mine again. I can feel my pulse pounding against his lips and hope we always have something to disagree about if all of our make-up sessions are going to end like this.

I free my hands from his hold and let them roam and touch him everywhere. Finally, I grab his face in my palms and pull his face up from the top of my chest to my lips for a fiery kiss. His tongue touches mine and explores the grooves in my mouth. Jeez, he's an amazing kisser.

I tell him this and he retorts with a teasingly loud, sloppy kiss and dramatically licks his lips. "Mmmm. My favorite flavor. Fruity lip-gloss and Lacey." I eagerly pull him back down for another taste.

"Danny. Danny. We have to stop," I whimper against his throat. He raises up, but my body hasn't caught up to my brain just yet and I reach up yanking him back down to me by his neck. I promise myself that we'll stop before any more clothing is removed.

After another few minutes, we reluctantly break a part. Danny's more responsible for the separation than I. Although, he does groan in frustration, which makes me want to reach out to pull him closer. Danny quickly stands, scoops up his shirt and walks to the opposite wall. I sit up and reset the sleeves of my dress.

"Sorry," I say with a shy smile.

"Don't apologize. Never apologize for wanting me," Danny says with his signature smirk, running his hands through his hair still working diligently at calming himself down. "Can I ask you something?"

I swallow and pretend that the playful mood hasn't suddenly evaporated. "Of course," I tell him.

"Is this what we do now? I mean, I'm okay with it, but I just need what we are to each other to be clear. We're like secret friends with benefits?"

I sigh and force myself to maintain eye contact. "I think so," I whisper. "Maybe when they arrest Regina's killer we can be more. But right now, no one would understand if they knew about us."

"So there is an us?"

I nod. I don't realize that I'm holding my breath until he smiles and holds out his hand to me. "Do you wanna go up to my room? We can watch a movie or talk or something."

I giggle as I try to restore order to my hair and absorb the small, gigantic step we've just taken together.

"What?" Danny asks with a raised eyebrow as his hand slowly falls to his side.

"I was just thinking, that for a guy that used to be in what's basically prison, you sure cuddle a lot."

"I don't cuddle," he replies gruffly with a furrowed brow.

I saunter over to him and wrap my arms around his neck. "Okay, you stretch out on your bed with me wrapped around you while you watch movies on your laptop."

Danny pecks my nose. "That's definitely not cuddling. It's watching moving art with a beautiful, cultured, enlightened woman beside me." He kisses a different part of my face between each adjective.

"I stand corrected." I step back taking his hand. "Lead the way, badass non-cuddler."

* * *

_This is so frakkin amazing,_ thought Doug as he stood outside the window to Danny's living room. When there was no answer at the front door he had decided to go around the back entrance to try and retrieve Eloise's jacket. Never in a googol years could he have dreamed to be seeing and recording such an incredible event staring the most popular sophomore with the most infamous student at Green Grove High. And the cherry on the ice cream sundae was that the window was slightly open–probably to release some of the stifling heat from the party– and he had a bit of sound to compliment the video.

Doug smiled, proud of himself for thinking to put on an abandoned Danny mask in case the subjects of the video noticed him. He was prouder of himself for holding the phone relatively steady, especially when Lacey Porter admitted to a secret relationship with the most notorious person in Green Grove, Danny Desai.

"I _do _know how much you're risking being with me," Danny said standing in front of Lacey. He was mostly blocking her, but Doug waited patiently for him to move to give him a better angle.

"Well, it's worth the risk," she said before pulling him in for a long kiss and slowly shuffling toward the couch together.

When Lacey sat on the couch Doug finally got the shot perfectly framed so he could see the both of them. His heart was thumping so loudly that he almost missed the soft sound of a zipper. It was a struggle to keep his arms steady, but as Vice President of the Matheletes and Treasurer of the AV Club he knew how to stay calm under pressure (so long as no one was looking at him).

Danny quickly joined her on the couch and removed his jacket while she removed her… was that her dress? _Lords of Kobol, this is gonna be Green Grove High gold_. Lacey Porter was in her bra searching for Danny Desai's tonsils with her tongue and Doug's respiratory system was on the verge of failure.

After another couple of minutes of noisy and overzealous kissing, Danny encouraged her to lie back on the couch. Doug frowned as he lost visual of his subjects, but he continued recording as he tried to get his breathing under control. He was now frozen to the spot and afraid to move in case they noticed his shadow or he made a sound. If that happened, he knew he'd never ever make it out of this backyard alive. So Doug remained recording, still as a statue, struggling to breathe silently through the holes in the mask he wore.

As he quietly panted, he watched Danny kneel above Lacey and remove his white t-shirt before returning to his a horizontal position above her on the couch. Doug glared hatefully at the monstrous couch on his phone's screen for blocking most of the activity. However, when he thought about it, it was probably better for him, legally, if he didn't see anything above a PG-13 rating.

They were laughing an awful lot, and he couldn't imagine what they found so amusing in their current positions. After a short lifetime, Lacey's legs reentered the picture seemingly framing Danny's waist. Doug's breath hitched.

When Danny's head suddenly popped up, Doug's arm waivered. Danny licked his lips and chuckled. "My favorite flavor. Fruity lip-gloss and Lacey." Then he dove back out of sight.

The couple eventually parted, and Danny moved to the far end of the room. Doug noticed that Danny's pants were still on –belt included–and was immensely grateful he didn't have to scrub a less dressed image of Danny Desai from his mind. Doug stopped recording when they started talking about things that didn't matter, but he remained frozen in place within the shadows.

When they finally left the room Doug let out a loud wheeze behind the mask. He shook out his tired arms and removed the mask as he replayed the video for himself. He was more than pleased with what he saw, but was uncertain what he would do with the footage.

Suddenly realizing that if Danny ever found out he'd been filmed like that it'd be lights out for him, so Doug knew he couldn't have his name involved. He wasn't ready to have a psychopathic killer come after him with a jump rope.

He thought about showing the video to Tyler Lewis who was bigger than Danny–and less afraid of him–and sure to have some ideas. The recording was a little on the long side, but Tyler would be able to help Doug edit out all the boring parts while keeping the original spirit of the scene. There was also the possibility of using some of the dialogue if the audio quality could be cleaned up. If everything worked well, maybe it could be included in Tyler's documentary about Danny. Doug's heartbeat sped up at the thought of sharing what he'd captured at the next meeting of the AV Club.

But first, he had to get Rico's opinion on the matter before showing Tyler or anyone else anything. He trusted him a lot more than the cunning senior and he'd know what to do. Yes, he'd play it safe and call Rico first thing in the morning before school and tell him he'd been sent the video anonymously. Just in case.

* * *

**AN:** I think the waffling of Lacey Porter has come to a plateau. Just in time, too, since we're about to discover more about what's going on in Green Grove's darkest closets and, hopefully, dust off a few skeletons.

Stay tuned...


	21. Learning Curve

**Chapter Eighteen**

Learning Curve

* * *

_Dear Lacey,_

_Today was a good day. We beat the Locos! They have at least six guys who really know how to play. Most of the other guys never have before, but they're all pretty into it now. Anyway, I am a soccer god! I scored twice against El Gato! TWO times! Nobody does that. _

_Did you decide to become a cheerleader? If you did, you can be part of my fan club. And if Jo's a cheerleader too that'd be pretty amazing. You wouldn't have to dance, but you could if you wanted to, you know. I wouldn't mind. _

_I'll definitely play in college. And I'll play for the Revs after that. You, Jo and Father could come to all my games. Mother can too if she wants._

_It's scary how amazing I am. You should definitely make up a cheer for me. _

_Your friend,_

_Danny, The Soccer God!_

.

The atrociously loud alarm of a new message on his cell phone tore Rico from his engagement with oblivion. As rewarding as a night of senseless drinking and fun can be, the lesson that came in the morning was a bitch. Rico hated that bitch and woke up three levels past normal embarrassment the morning after. He fumbled with the phone until it miraculously went silent and stayed that way.

His head ached worse than he'd ever imagined possible and he vacillated between wanting to vomit, wanting to eat everything in sight, and wanting all the noise, people and food in the world to disappear.

Thinking about last night made his head hurt. Everyone from the party was probably laughing at him right now. Even Jo. He moaned and realized moaning made his head hurt worse. He wondered if anyone recorded him doing anything stupid, reckless, or both and whether they planned to show it to the entire school during the most inappropriate moment possible?

He remembered pulling out his phone at one point and trying to record Jo telling him what an amazing dancer he was. Was that before or after all those kids from school crashed the game night? Maybe it was just before those guys in the Danny masks showed up and strangled a doll? Or maybe that was just a false memory. He'd heard that alcohol could do that sometimes. He'd check his phone later just to be sure. For now, he was only able to hope that none of his foolishness had been memorialized on video.

He groaned and cringed again when the hazy memory of Jo walking him home last night and calling him a variety of names like "wino," "booze head," and "frat boy," but the clearest memory from last night was of his dad wickedly grinning at him when he arrived and telling him that his real punishment would start as soon as he woke up. Little did he know that a hangover was just the beginning of his pain.

His dad entered in his room –never a good sign–two hours before his first class and woke him with breakfast in bed consisting of eggs, bacon, grits and pineapple juice. Upon smelling it Rico immediately felt the urge to purge his empty stomach in the bathroom. His father's hearty bellow echoed down the hall. Once he'd finished in the bathroom Rico returned to the kitchen and whimpered as he attempted to eat a slice of toast over the safety of the kitchen sink. After finally keeping down half a piece of toast, he was ordered to mow the lawn or get to school.

Normally, Rico would rather be anywhere but home, especially on one of his dad's days off, but he couldn't let his teachers see him in this condition. He wasn't prepared to risk one of them being swayed from writing him a stellar letter of recommendation for college next year because they couldn't erase the image of him blowing chunks all over the classroom. There was no way he was taking that chance. Afraid of the repercussions if he attended his morning classes, Rico regretfully chose the option of manual labor and spending the day at home with his father.

The noise from the mower, his father's ceaseless grunted directions and his gurgling stomach made the never-ending task doubly horrendous. He kept rushing to the bathroom to puke and escape the noise and smell of the freshly cut grass, which for some reason made him more nauseated than the smell of breakfast. Each time he returned to the lawnmower his dad commented on Rico's lack of fortitude and how slowly the work was being completed. At one point Rico almost suggested he do it himself, but the sudden rush of nausea prevented him, effectively maintaining the peace at the same time.

After a couple hours of misery, Rico's dad took pity on him and asked Rico if he wanted to grab a beer and watch a basketball game with him. With a groan he begged his dad to just let him sleep.

Promising to show him real pain the next time he came home drunk he handed his son two pills and a glass of water. Then he patted the boy on the back and sent him to his room, a little bit proud of his straight-edged son and sure he had learned a valuable lesson he wouldn't soon forget. This one would probably stick much better than one of those silly froo-froo skits from that ridiculous Sobriety Awareness night.

Moaning, Rico fell into his bed. As he drifted off he struggled to remember that there was something he'd wanted to do all morning, something having to do with his phone. Right. He'd been meaning to check it, or at the very least, let Jo know that he was all right. But, with another moan, he figured he'd remember to take care of it later after a full day of rest. Right now, the dresser, where his phone rested peacefully, was too far away for him to be bothered.

Had Rico been less miserable, he would have discovered his education for the day was not quite over. Had he checked his phone, he would have been in time to strongly encourage his fellow Mathlete, Doug, to delete the video he'd recorded last night in blatant violation of the unofficial Mathlete code of ethics. Instead Rico rolled over and fell asleep. Learning the value of the next lesson would come much too late.

* * *

I burrow back into the warm cocoon and sigh when its embrace becomes snugger around me. My skin tingles where a moist comforting pressure sweeps against my neck. Stretching my neck, I press my back into the firm surface behind me and release a relaxed, content sigh. The log around my waist pulls me further into the comfortable bubble and I feel secure and protected. I turn my head to tuck my face into this cozy shell of security, but upon hearing a deep quiet laugh the feeling of being protected fades.

I squint and see a blurry light brown rock quivering in front of me. I reach out to touch it and it jumps again, in time with the laughing sounds. I fully open my eye and am confused to see Danny's chest under my fingers.

"Find something interesting, did you?" he laughs.

"Danny!" startled, I smack his chest inciting him to laugh harder.

"I didn't mean to wake you, but you were being so cute." He pulls me back into him. I turn my face away from him when I realize the goal is to kiss me before I've had a chance to brush my teeth.

I ungracefully struggle to free myself from him while attempting to avoid breathing in his direction. Not as easy as it sounds. Finally, I give up and wiggle my left hand up enough to cover my mouth and simultaneously press my lips together preventing any of my stale morning breath from leaking out. Communicating with only my eyes I try to warn him away from me, but his playful smile only grows as he rolls me onto my back and settles above me, his arms holding most of his weight.

I squeeze my eyes shut and turn away breathing out the side of my mouth.

"Kiss me and I'll set you free," he teases.

I shake my head hoping he can't see my ridiculous smile.

He lowers himself so his lips are brushing my ear. "Kiss me, Lacey," he whispers. I whimper when I'm unable to control the way my body shivers in response. "Please?"

Hand over my mouth I mumble, "No. My mouth is gross."

"I don't care."

The knock at the door startles us both into stillness.

"Danny? You're gonna be late if you don't hurry. I made breakfast."

We remain frozen for the eternity that it takes for Mrs. Desai to turn the knob and open the door. "Danny, are you awake?" Her head slowly creeps into the room and it's like we're all under water. In the longest second of my life, I debate whether to duck under Danny and play at being invisible, greet his mother and act like this is an every day occurrence, or dive for the closet and pray she never realizes I was ever here.

Unfortunately, the second ends before I reach a decision and my fate is decided without any input from me. Danny jumps up from the bed, tosses the covers over my head and rushes to block his mother from entering.

"I'm awake, Mother," he quickly says.

My heart is pumping like crazy as I try not to move and hold my breath. I fell like an idiot hiding like this, and silently berate myself for falling asleep while we watched a movie on his laptop. I'm also starting to get upset with Danny for not waking me and insisting that I go home for the night.

"I can see that," Mrs. Desai says in a clipped tone. "I hope you're being careful," I hear her whisper and shrink a little further into the mattress.

Danny sighs. "Mother," his voice deepens and it's difficult to make out his words. "I'm not discussing this right now."

"I'm not just talking about physically. But you're right. Now isn't the time." He voices rises as she asks, "Lacey, will you be joining us for breakfast before you leave to get ready for school?"

If it were possible I'd be red from my toenails to the tips of each strand of hair on my head. Still I refuse to lower the blanket covering me and say, "No thanks, Mrs. Desai." I can count on three fingers the number of times I been this embarrassed. I can never look her in the eye again. Therefore, I decide that I'm never, ever coming back here again.

I don't hear the rest of the conversation after that, but its only a few seconds after the door closes that the bedspread is pulled out of my nervous fingers and Danny is grinning in front of me. "Sorry."

"I'm never, ever coming back here again," I tell him.

He nods and kneels next to me. "You sure you don't want breakfast? She makes a pretty decent bowl of Frosted Flakes."

I groan and roll out the other side of the bed. "You're such an ass," I say with a smile. "I can't believe that that just happened and you're still in one piece. My mom would have killed me. And you. And then me again."

Danny shrugs. "I'm sure she'll want to sit down and discuss it, but we don't have the typical mother-son/parent-teenager relationship if you haven't noticed."

I motion for him to turn around so I can change out of the t-shirt he let me borrow while we didn't cuddle last night and back into my dress. "Even so, she's your mom and I'm your…Well, it's just embarrassing to be caught like that. Even if we haven't done what she clearly thinks we've done. You'll tell her that, right? That we haven't done anything that requires being careful. I don't want her to think that…" I don't know what I want her to think, but I don't want her to not like me and I don't know how to explain it to Danny without giving him the wrong impression. "I just don't want her to think I'm corrupting her son," I finish faintly.

My clothing is back in order and I cross to the door to collect my shoes. His sudden laughter gives me pause and I turn to see what has him so amused. "I think you're a few years too late for that."

He stalks towards me with a wolfish grin. "Can I kiss you now?" he asks, catching me off guard.

My pulse picks up along with my breathing. No matter how many times he looks at me I can't get used to the way I get lost in his chestnut-gold eyes when he turns on the charm. I feel my head nod and before my brain can catch up, Danny's lips are touching mine. I gasp and clutch at his shoulders when my legs almost give out beneath me.

He tastes like warm cinnamon. I moan when he nips my bottom lip, and nip his in return, which is quickly becoming a playful habit of ours. When we part to take quick gasps of air, I'm suddenly enveloped with embarrassment all over again. I remember that I haven't brushed my teeth and probably taste disgusting. On top of that, I'm now certain that he's had a chance to chew some gum or swallow a breath mint.

"You cheated," I whine covering my mouth with my hand.

"All's fair…" he counters and hands me my shoes.

I don't even remember to be embarrassed about his mom and rush out the house to my car a few minutes later. It's not till fifteen minutes after that I remember that I still have to explain to my mom where I've been with the car all night. "All's fair my ass," I whisper into the rearview and pull into our driveway.

* * *

Deputy Dewitt frowned when Mayor Rollins entered the police station and marched into the chief's office as if it were his own. He'd been doing that a lot lately whether the chief was in or not. And at present, the chief was conspicuously absent from the station.

She picked up her cell phone and tapped out a quick message to her boss apprising him of the intruder before cautiously approaching the office door.

She announced herself with an abrupt knock causing the mayor to hesitate in his rifling through the folders in the furthest filing cabinet. After a moment, he turned to address her with a scowl on his chalky face.

"What is it, _Deputy_?" he spat through a put upon smile.

"Just seeing if I can help you with something, _Mayor_ Rollins. The chief's at lunch, but I'm sure he'll be back in a just a jiffy if you're looking for him," she said with exaggerated cheer.

"I'm not in need of any help, Deputy." He turned, dismissing her presence and returned to going through the fils.

"Garrett's just put on a fresh pot of coffee, if you want to grap a cup and wait out here…" Her smile was falling and she was becoming less interested in keeping up appearances than finding out exactly what he was looking for.

"Where are we with the Crane murder?" he asked without pausing his search.

Deputy Dewitt sucked her teeth and slowly counted to five while she imagined hauling him from the room and tossing him out the front door and onto his ass in the street. The thought made her smile. She was tired of him acting as if he were part of the team investigating that crime. Amateur sleuths that got in her way pissed her off like nothing else.

She'd studied Criminal Justice for years while working as an intern at the Green Grove Police Department every summer until she'd earned her degree, and consequently her position in the department. Now he thought that just because a couple of people decided he looked good on camera talking behind a podium that he was qualified to do proper police work alongside the professionals.

"Like I said, Mayor Rollins, the chief will be back in a minute. He'd be able to answer that better than I could." _Or would,_ she silently added.

"Of course. In that case, I'll just wait for him in here. That'll be all, Deputy."

With an excessively noisy exhale Deputy Dewitt exited the office. She sucked her teeth to keep herself from commenting on the manner in which he'd dismissed her like he was king and she his lowly slave.

When she returned to her desk she sent another text to her boss.

_-His majesty is begging to get tossed out on his ass. HURRY!_


	22. Keeping Tabs

**Chapter Nineteen**

Keeping Tabs

* * *

"I got your text. What's up?" Jo asked as she sat in the booth across from Danny. "Did you find out something about your dad and Regina?"

"Do you still really think my dad and Regina were…" he softly asked looking away from her to study the menu above the counter.

"I don't know. If that's not what you texted me about then why did you want to meet?" A waiter stopped by with a glass of water and quickly took her order.

"I wanted to meet up without it having to be about that. We haven't spent any time together, just the two of us, in a while and after the failed attempt at a game night last night, I wanted to see how you were doing."

Jo's mouth suddenly became dry and she nervously bit her lip. Realizing that biting her lip was announcing her lack of composure she immediately released it but suddenly didn't know what to do with her mouth of whether she should, in fact, be doing something with her mouth. Like speaking. He'd just asked a questions and she remembered that those usually required some kind of verbal response.

"Oh," Jo replied tucking a strand of frizzy hair behind her left ear. _Way to go._

"I don't blame you for what happened, Jo. He fooled me, too." Danny reached across the table and settled his hand on top of hers. Afraid that he'd see the turmoil in her eyes, she frantically looked for something to set her gaze on and seeing the glass of water just off to her right, removed her hand from under his and grabbed the glass. Taking a long, slow sip she waited for her heartbeat to settle before raising her gaze to his.

"I know. I just thought he liked me, you know? I'm so stupid," she whispered thinking that maybe she wasn't meant to find the special someone.

"No, Jo, you're not. If he couldn't see what an amazing person you are, then that's his loss."

"Sure," Jo doubtfully agreed.

"Anyway, I was thinking we could hang out tonight. Maybe watch one of the old faves, _Ghostbusters _or even some girly movie like _Pretty Woman_. What do you say?"

"Sure. We can do it at my place. Can Rico come? I sort of have plans with him already." She inwardly groaned as soon as the words left her mouth. He'd just told her he'd wanted to spend time together with just the two of them and she was already inviting someone else to join them. _Can I be any lamer?_

"Really? So you and Rico, huh?" he teased playfully. "I remember reading about him in one of your letters but never got any backstory there. Did you two ever date or want to date?"

Jo laughed, a little too loudly, drawing the attention of the nearby diners. "No! We're just friends. We don't see each other that way at all."

Danny was still smiling when he asked, "You're sure? Maybe there are some feelings buried under the surface."

Shaking her head, Jo laughed again. "Really not hiding any feelings under anything. I mean he's like you and me. You see me the way I see him, like a sort of sibling. I look out for him. I'm sure he feels the same way," she took a nervous sip of her water and smiled watching for a reaction from him in response to her comparison. After he'd clearly established the way he saw her in front of Tyler the other day, she felt the need to be doubly cautious about any displays of more than sisterly behavior. "So, is it cool to invite him?" _Why is he so concerned with Rico? Better yet, why do I keep talking about him?_

"Yeah. It's cool. I'll see if Lacey can join us too. And this time I'm locking the front door and not answering after we're all there no matter who rings the bell." He smiled and remained cool as a cucumber so Jo was unable to read any hidden meanings in his words or behavior.

"Cool," she said pulling out her phone to text Rico about the change of plans wishing she'd kept her mouth shut about inviting anyone else at all.

* * *

It's been forever since Sarita and I have hung out. I've kind of missed her feisty spirit and dry sense of humor, but I'm glad we've carved out some time in our busy schedules to go shopping.

"No. No. Boring. No. Too Jersey Shore. Yuck. I think the ugly chick on Glee shops here. When did this place get so blah, Lace?" Sarita swats away another shirt on the rack and turns to me with a frown. "I'm not going to find the right dress here. Let's try Ella's."

"Good choice. They always have the latest and greatest," I agree and hand the skirt in my hand to a nearby sales associate. "Sorry," I say to her with a shrug and lead the way out of the store.

The mall is pretty crowded since schools are all out for the day, but I don't mind it. The crowd makes me feel like no one is watching me waiting for me to mess up. Today, I'm just another consumer eager to spend my money along with everyone else.

"I'm glad we're doing this, Sarita. I really needed to get out of Green Grove for a while and this is really great."

"Me too. You've been acting pretty weird since you broke up with Archie. What was that about? Did he cheat on you?" she eagerly asks taking a step closer to me. "You could tell me, you know, and I wouldn't think any differently of you."

I try to laugh, but it comes out sounding more like an aborted cough. "No, Sarita. It wasn't like that. You and Marcus seem to be really into each other. You've been hanging out with him a lot. Are you guys, like, official yet?"

Sarita tosses her hair over her shoulder and I can tell she's trying to hide her smile. She shrugs. "It's whatever. We're not labeling it. I mean, he's more into me than I'm into him, but it's kinda cute. Plus, have you seen his abs?" She lets out a giggle and I join in.

She's not usually so cheerful where people can see her, but I think she needed this break from the scrutiny of our lives, too. Out here we don't have to keep up appearances so much.

The rest of the day is pretty relaxing and we laugh as we try on clothes and give opinions on each other's choices. This is the Sarita I know and love. I just wish she felt this comfortable with herself all the time, but I completely understand her need to constantly be on the defensive. I'm doing it most of the time myself and am rarely the person I want to be within Green Grove city limits. Maybe when we're older life will get easier and it won't matter so much what the rest of the world thinks of us.

As we're making our final purchases I let out a breathy sigh and casually turn to Sarita standing in line behind me. It's finally the right moment to bring up a topic that's been on my mind for a little while. "I can't tell you why, but Tyler Lewis is _persona non grata_ for the rest of the year."

"What? Why?" Sarita nearly drops her bags and clothes she has in her hands.

"I said I can't tell you, but trust me, it's a good reason."

"Did he try something with you? Was it at that party at Socio's that he emailed everyone about?" She hisses vehemently. I turn back to the cashier to sign the receipt knowing that the silence will allow Sarita time to create her own answers. "Oh my god, say no more," she growls when I hand the clerk the slip of paper. "I got your back, Lace. What do you need me to do?"

"I'm not sure yet, but it has to be soon. I want the rest of his senior year to be torture. And I want him to know that the person behind it is me."

"I think I've got an idea. I'll let you know tomorrow if I think it'll work."

I smile and pick up my newest bag of acquisitions. "Thanks. I knew you'd understand."

Five minutes later the shopping trip is over and it's time to return to Green Grove. "Hey, Lace?" Sarita asks as we walk toward her car. "Speaking of the Lewis clan, when did Freaky Phoebe get cool again? Not that _I_ think she's cool, but when did it become okay for her to hang out with us?"

I'm startled by the question and can't immediately think of a way to respond to that. I settle my bags in the back seat and lean over the hood of the car to look at my shorter friend.

"I don't know. I don't even remember why we stopped hanging out in the first place, but it's kind of nice having her back again. After that whole sobbing for the cameras and the grief session ordeal we talked and she's been really great to have around after Reggie died," my voice falters towards the end.

She nods and gets into the driver's seat.

"Why do you ask?"

She's silent for so long that I almost forget the question by the time she responds, "I'm just glad we can be friends again." After another long pause she says, "So the brat is turning thirteen. She better love what you got her. And tell her that if she complains, after all the effort we've put into it, her Aunty Rita will rip her a new one."

We laugh as she starts the car and an annoying pop song blasts out of the speakers. We aren't even out of the parking lot before we're both singing it at the top of our lungs.

* * *

He watched the girls drive away and waited a few more seconds before following them in his own car. He was curious about the one he'd seen fleeing from the Desai house early this morning wearing an outfit usually reserved for evening adventures. It was easy to guess that she's spent the night, but he wondered in what capacity. The trampled yard and littered with paper, soda cans and the odd plastic cup suggested a party, so she may have been one of the guests that stayed because they were too inebriated to drive home. Or she could have been at the Desai household for a different reason all together.

Interest piqued, he followed her to what he assumed was her home and then to the local high school shortly thereafter. When a young man with bronze skin and medium length, dark brown hair passed her on the lawn, a short blonde walking at his side, the taller girl made it a point to turn her head in the opposite direction and initiate a conversation with the curly haired beauty next to her. The young man walking with the blonde looked familiar, but he couldn't positively confirm his identify without a little more research. As the young man walked away with his petite friend, the taller, darker female glanced toward them with a neutral smile that he decided leaned a bit towards the sad side of things. _How interesting,_ he thought. Since the last thing he needed was to be caught snooping around a school he didn't attend, he soon left to find a nearby hotel.

After a few hours of much needed rest, he had returned to the young lady's house to resume observing her. Shortly after she got home, a dark car pulled up outside and honked the horn. He'd been watching her with her friend all afternoon and his curiosity only grew as the hours passed. He noticed that she and her friend were prettier than average, but when the taller one laughed she was gorgeous and outshone her friend's beauty by leaps and bounds.

His need to know what connection she had to the Desai's increased and he decided that he needed to meet her. He knew it wasn't the smartest decision to make but no one ever claimed he always made the best choices. He was more likely to make the more interesting ones. They held his attention longer.

Case in point, when he'd returned to speak with the jewelry maker last night and found him passed out on the floor of his shop he should have called the police and reported the assault. Instead, after rousing the old man and discovering that the notes explaining the code in his jewel were missing, he'd threatened to hurt Mr. Iwata again unless he told him everything he knew about his father and the set of jewels. Once he'd gotten every bit of information from the old man, he'd swiped a loupe from the workshop, and given him the number of local locksmith before taking his phone and locking him in his own vault. It made him smile when he remembered the look of surprise on the bald old man's face and his muffled shouts about how he lacked any respect for his elders.

The girl's car turned onto the highway and he followed a few moments later. He wasn't afraid he'd lose them. He already knew where she lived, so he knew where she'd eventually end up. For now he was more interested in finding the best time to speak with her alone. He had a feeling that somehow she'd be able to help him on his quest. If nothing else, his pursuit of her would keep things interesting while he waited to hear from his contact.


	23. Outer Dialogue of the Subconscious Mind

NOTE: I'm currently on tour with limited time and access on internet, so I'm trying to post as much as I can when I can, but that you for your patience. Thinks should slow down in my real life in about two weeks, but I'll definitely keep going with this story, so have faith. Thanks!

Chapter Twenty

**Outer Dialogue of the Subconscious Mind**

* * *

_Dear Lacey,_

_I hope you're doing much better and me writing to you isn't making things worse. I know they don't want you writing me anymore, but I still hope that they let you have my letters. If you want me to stop, just let me know. I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you. Not ever on purpose. Please believe me. _

_I'm doing well. I don't really have anything new to report. I'm taking some freshman courses now, just Trig, English, and World History, but I don't think I'm officially in high school yet. I don't quite understand how that works. _

_Your last letter said you might try out for the pep squad. I know you'd be really peppy and they'd be stupid not to pick you. If you join, does that make you a cheerleader? I'd like to think of you that way. Cheerful, peppy and happy. _

_I want you to be so happy. _

_Your friend,_

_Danny_

_PS Happy New Year_

_.~._

I put away all of my new purchases and the sun is just setting when Daffy reminds me she needs to be walked. We're only a block away from the house when I get a text from Danny that makes me smile.

-_I miss you,_ is all it says, but I feel the butterflies fluttering in the bottom of my stomach as my silly grin gets bigger.

Catching me at a perfect moment of folly, I surprise myself by instantly responding with, _Me too_. Once I send it, I start to blush. I can't believe I did that without any hesitation. It's probably because my brain hasn't fully come down from the high I got shopping with Sarita just yet.

_-Movie night at Jo's?_

I'm suddenly remembering our childhood sleepovers in Jo's living room. The way it used to be when Jo and I made fun of Danny as he teased us about not understanding girl talk, and the time we all fell asleep with our hands in the popcorn bowl are the most prominent I can question it, I agree to join them and offer to bring popcorn.

As Daffy does her business I sigh and take in the calmness of the neighborhood. I think I'm actually looking forward to tonight. Sure, it'll be awkward at first, but it'll be good for us. With Jo and I tiptoeing around each other it's been uncomfortable and it's time for us to stop trying to figure out how to make everything the way it was before the madness. We all just want to be friends and maybe tonight will be the night that we really start to make that happen in a new way and let go of the past.

After the silent soliloquy, I nod to myself in agreement and feel a tug at leash in my hand. I look down at Daffy eagerly wagging her tail and sniffing at the ground at the end of her tether. And just that fast, I feel like I'm being watched.

I looked behind me down the vacant sidewalk. Unable to shake the feeling, I tug Daffy closer and I look around again. An engine starts down the street and the feeling lessens. I let out a relieved laugh and shake my head.

I'm just being paranoid about hanging out with Danny and Jo in an hour. It's not like anyone is watching my every move and going to find out that we're sort of friends again. More to the point, there's no reason anyone would want to watch me walking my dog or watch her take care of personal business behind a shrub.

I clean up after Daffy and toss the plastic bag in the nearest trash bin. "Come on, sweetie," I call to her and start the short walk home.

A car slowly drives by and the uneasy feeling returns. I turn to look at the driver and my eyes must be playing tricks on me. Before I can confirm the face of the driver, the car is already turning the corner. For a second I thought the guy behind the wheel looked a lot like Mr. Desai, but that's impossible since Danny doesn't drive and Mr. Desai is dead.

Maybe it's my subconscious telling me that I'm not quite ready for an old fashioned movie night. But I already said I'd go and after the fiasco of last night I can't bring myself to back out.

"I'm starting to see things, Daffy." She softly barks at the mention of her name and rubs up against my shin. This ridiculous mystery is starting to fray my nerves and I'm getting way too suspicious about everything. I just want everything to go back to normal. "You're right. I need to get more sleep, but that'll have to wait for later. Tonight, I'm going to hang out with my old friends. It'll be fun," I say struggling to maintain the enthusiasm I felt a few minutes ago.

.~.

* * *

The credits rolled as Danny looked down at the girl tucked against his side sleeping soundly as if she hadn't a care in the world and nodded to himself. He very much wanted to be what brought this content state to Lacey, and that sudden realization hit him like a Mack truck. It also made him very aware that he wasn't ready to examine the unexpected discovery. Instead he examined what came before this nearly perfect moment in time.

To think, when he'd asked her to attend hang out and watch a movie with Jo, Rico and himself he assumed she'd decline the invitation. He couldn't have been more surprised with her immediate acceptance and offer to bring snacks. In the back of his mind, he knew she was feeling guilty about declining his invitation to the game night, but if attending tonight would make her feel better than he wasn't going to complain.

Once she'd arrived her nervousness was obvious, but she'd put a great deal of effort in overcoming it. She was cordial with Jo and had made a concerted effort to speak to Rico, even though she didn't know the first thing about him. She had also remained hyperaware of everyone's drink and snack level and made sure no one ever went without food and drink. Her attentiveness to everyone else's needs had left Danny in charge of taking care of her needs. When he finally told her to sit down and enjoy the movie, she complied with a huff and awkwardly situated herself between Jo and Rico. He knew it was to keep them from giving away their little secret, but he smiled all the same when Jo rolled her eyes and scooted closer to the empty space next to Danny.

Barely twenty minutes into the movie he noticed Lacey nodding off and leaning against an increasingly uncomfortable Jo. It was probably all the running around she'd done topping off everyone's snacks that tired her out so quickly. He turned his attention back to the movie but was distracted again when Jo complained, "You're heavy, Lacey and my arm is falling asleep," before nudging her in the other direction towards Rico.

"Lacey, come sleep over her. There's plenty of space," Danny suggested without thinking.

Only half awake, she climbed over Jo and settled herself against Danny's side with a sigh. It was another shock to see that Lacey had found her way over to him in order to use him as a her personal pillow.

He heard Jo and Rico laughing at her childlike behavior and allowed himself to join in. They were among friends and Lacey's easy compliance could be chalked up to her sleepiness.

Still chuckling, he shrugged and reached for the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table.

Now, ninety minutes later, he looked across the room to see Rico studying the sleeping girl drooling onto his own thigh. He doubted that Jo had any idea how much she'd revealed about herself with their earlier conversation in the diner, or how much trust she'd already given to Danny in his short time back in Green Grove. The least he could do in return was to help her and Rico be honest with themselves about their feelings. She deserved to be happy. He wanted Jo to feel for Rico what Rico so clearly felt for her.

Rico met his gaze across the room and looked down at the way he cradled Lacey close to him. He raised an eyebrow and Danny mimicked the gesture as his eyes took in Jo's position on the couch. "I guess they weren't into the movie," Danny chuckled barely above a whisper. Rico glanced down and Jo and a soft smile graced on his lips. He looked back at Danny and shrugged in response. "You have a thing for her, right, Rico?"

"What? No!" Rico hoarsely exclaimed looking down to double check that Jo was still sleeping. "Uh, why do you think that?" he quietly stammered.

Danny arched his brow again in answer.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter anyway. She's never gonna think of me that way." He lifted a hand to stroke her hair but quickly changed his mind settling it at the back of the couch above her.

"Look, dude. You won't know if you don't say something to her," Danny said running a gently hand through Lacey's hair as she nuzzled further into his neck.

"Naw. Sometimes you just know. Besides, she likes someone else," Rico stated sadly. Looking up from Jo and towards Danny, he yelped in surprise to see Danny's fingers sliding through Lacey's locks, slightly jarring Jo. "Wait. Are you saying that you two…" He pointed at Danny and Lacey. Jo whimpered and slid a hand under his thigh to still him as she resettled. "Ha. Nevermind," he chuckled. "I'm being ridiculous. But I admit to being super surprised to see her here. How'd you manage that?"

Danny shrugged his unoccupied shoulder. "Ladies dig the hair." He smirked. "But seriously, we're taking it one day at a time. I really want our friendships to work and understand that it'll take time, so I let Jo and Lacey set the pace and, hopefully, one day we all won't have to work at it so hard all of the time. Know what I mean?"

Rico nodded. "Not at all. But cool. I guess we should wake them up and get going? I already have to be up early to study. I'm playing catch up for missing most of my classes today. If I never see another drop of alcohol it'll still be too soon," he groaned and awkwardly tapped Jo's shoulder until she opened her eyes.

Danny gently nudged Lacey awake, but instead of moving away from him she moved in closer. "Five more minutes," she playfully whined, reminding him of the way many of their makeout sessions wound down. Before she could get close enough to put any of her usual actions behind her words he forced himself to put his hands on her shoulders and keep her at arms length.

"Wake up, Lace. Rico and I are heading out soon. Maybe you can give us a ride home?"

Mentioning another person snapped her into immediate wakefulness. She fell to the floor scrambling to pull herself out of his reach.

"Chill, Lacey," Jo frowned, rolling her eyes as she stood to stretch. "It's just Danny. The guy you crawled over me to get to so you could fall asleep. Why'd you even come if you're just gonna freak out every time he accidentally touches you?" Jo belatedly laughed in an attempt to soften her bitter words, but her expression remained indignant.

"It's okay, Jo," Danny started to say, but now that Jo had the baton she was going all the way to the finish line with it.

"No, it's not. Either we're friends or we're not, but I'm sick of being in this weird limbo where even in private she treats us like we're lepers." Danny appreciated how protective she was of him, but sometimes she seemed to just resent anyone for not reacting the way she might in the same situation.

Lacey rose to her feet and stepped in front of Jo crossing her arms in front of her chest. "The truth finally comes out. So glad you've found your backbone, Jo. Is there anything else you'd like to tell me I can do better?"

Rico stretched, loudly moaning in the process of exaggeratedly yawning, "Boy, am I exhausted. This has been great, but I should get home before my parents start to worry." He tacked on another yawn to sell the urgency.

Ignoring him, Lacey continued, "And don't pretend like you've even wanted to be friends in private. You never say anything to me that isn't about Danny and solving the mystery of Regina's murder. It's no wonder that we haven't bonded more over such riveting topics of discussion."

"What else is there to talk about? You can't even be in a room alone with me for more than two minutes before checking your phone and making up an excuse to be somewhere else," Jo spat crossing her arms over her chest.

"That's because you're always harping on the same old things, like you did when Danny left, and even now you're asking me to risk everything, while you have nothing to lose." Lacey started to speak in an exaggerated childlike tone, progressively inching closer to Jo's face with each sentence, "Lacey, ask your friends if they know about the necklace. Lacey, find out if they lied about their alibis. Lacey, ask your mom and Regina's mom about Danny's dad. Lacey, let's meet up and never do anything normal friend do. Lacey, completely obliterate all the progress you've made moving forward in your life over the past five years because I'm telling you it'll be worth it in the end."

Danny watched Jo's fists tighten as Lacey's voice rose. He had to end this before Jo's parents overheard them and intervened.

Danny put a hesitant hand on Lacey's shoulder at the same time Rico tapped Jo's. "Hey, we're all pretty tired and exhaustion is making us say things we don't mean."

"I'm known to speak in tongues when I'm exhausted," Rico unhelpfully supplied.

"She definitely means them," Jo growled ignoring Rico's tapping.

"Yeah, I do," Lacey heatedly agreed.

"Either way, we should get going, now. Thanks for hosting, Jo. It was fun," Danny said gently ushering Lacey out of the room and into her jacket. Jo glared at Lacey and fell back onto the couch with a frustrated groan. "Talk to you tomorrow, Jo," Danny said before the trio departed.

He refrained from smiling when Lacey didn't pull away from him as they walked to her car, but he really wanted to.

_.~._

* * *

"If you act like she's the injured party in this, I'm going to scream," I say to Danny as soon as we're outside Jo's house. "Sometimes she just…and I wanna…but then I remember…I can't believe that she…worse than my little sister." I'm frustrated that I can't clearly articulate a single, fully formed thought, but Danny gently squeezes my wrist letting me know he completely understands what I'm saying anyway before releasing me. I stomp to the driver's side of my car and take a deep breath before getting in behind the wheel.

The backdoor closes, startling me, and I hear, "Maybe you should take a few more deep breaths before driving off. I read somewhere that driving angry can be as bad as driving drunk because your focus isn't on the road like it's supposed to be, but on whatever is upsetting you. I'd rather your focus be on the road, if that's ok, but if you can focus on both, that's ok, too. I mean, not _as _ok, but ok enough, I guess. I figure you don't want to die or get into a crash either, so with that being the case, in all likelihood your need to survive will supersede your anger and you should be totally fine after about thirty seconds in a quiet car give or take a few seconds."

I slowly blink at him in the rearview mirror and turn to look at Danny as if to ask if the guy in my back seat is serious. Danny smiles and nods as if to say he's pretty positive that he is. I turn to face the front again and release another deep, deep exhalation.

I turn the key in the ignition and catch his gaze in the rearview mirror again. "Survival is overrated," I tell him with a crooked smile. He let's out a squeak and quickly puts on his seatbelt.

I decide to drop him off first and he nervously directs me to his house. Once he finally exits the car I let out a huge sigh of relief. "Is he always like that?" I ask Danny. It's mostly a rhetorical question, but I find myself genuinely curious about the strange sophomore and his penchant for spouting out useless information. "Are he and Jo, like, together now?" I quickly follow up.

Danny chortles. "They're just really good friends."

I pull away from the curb and start towards his house.

"You wanna tell me what all that was about back at Jo's?"

"Not really," I say, distracting myself by concentrating on obeying every single rule of the road and double-checking for traffic before each turn and lane shift.

"Lacey," Danny purrs my name and rests a hand on my thigh. "Do you really feel that way? Like you're risking everything and we're risking much less?"

"I never said anything about what you're risking," I quickly say more defensively than intended.

"It was implied. Hey, can you pull over for a second so we can talk?"

"What's there to say?" I ask, but still pull over to the curb outside a mid-sized house with a wooden swing on the patio.

I put the car into park and stiffly face forward, ignoring the hand soothingly rubbing my thigh.

I'm concentrating so hard on ignoring him that I miss him move into my personal space. "Hey," he says right next to my ear.

I jerk my head away from him and turn to face my window. "If you wanna see tears, you're gonna wait a long while, because all I am is pissed." I feel the stiff aggression in my body suddenly slacken like the wires of a telephone pole snapping. My shoulders sag and my head falls onto the cool glass. "This whole thing is sucking the life out of me. I don't know who to trust or what to think. I hate being so freaking confused."

I hear a click and he's pulling my seatbelt away from me. "It's okay, Lace. It's okay," he's whispering. A sob gets stuck in my throat and I squeeze my eyes tightly shut. "It's okay," he repeats, pulling me over the center console to straddle his lap with seemingly little effort. I can't believe he's got that much strength and control in his upper body.

He's pushed his seat back as far as it goes to give us more space. I press my face into his shoulder and silently weep into his shirt. "It's okay," he keeps repeating, and rubs soothing circles on my back with the flat of his large hand.

After a long while, I feel much calmer and infinitely lighter. "I didn't mean to imply anything about you. I didn't even mean to say anything to Jo. Honestly. I think she and I just need to work this one out on our own. We don't trust each other very much so it's hard to see where the other is coming from."

"That makes sense," he whispers, maintaining the tranquility of the mood. "I just hope you won't give up on her and that you want to try to mend the friendship."

I feel like a big, messy child when I raise my head and look at him. I give a slight nod and say, "I want to try." I promise myself that after today, there will be no more tears concerning Jo, Danny or this entire mess we've made of our friendships. I rest my head back on his shoulder and decide that I need a little more time in this safe, cozy space before returning to my seat on the other side of the console.


	24. What They Want to Hear

Chapter Twenty-One

**What They Want to Hear**

Sometimes Sarita Marrero surprised herself with her cleverness. She would have preferred to be sleeping, but she had work to do. She watched the morning soccer practice from beside the bleachers waiting for the Coach Chandler to blow the whistle announcing it's end. She looked up from her text messages when she heard the long shrill sound three times in a row. She quickly made her presence known and called out to her target. "Hey, Scott. Got a second?" she asked from the side of the soccer field. He changed his trajectory from the locker rooms to her.

She's make it quick so he still had time to shower before classes began.

"Do you know much about Tyler Lewis?"

"Uh, not really, why?" he asked rubbing the back of his neck.

Sarita shrugged and feigned nonchalance as she pretended to play with her phone. "Oh. I thought you were a friend of his. In that case, I guess you wouldn't care about a rumor I heard about him." She started to slowly walk away.

"Oh, yeah. That Tyler. Camera nerd, right? What'd you hear?"

"Promise you won't tell Archie?" She whispered before she looked up from her phone pretending to check that no one else was listening. She had to make sure Scott believed what she was about to tell him, so he would be more convincing when he told Archie, which she knew he would do regardless of what he promised.

"Yeah. I promise, Sarita. What is it?" He stepped in closer to hear her better.

"Well, you know that party he emailed everyone about the other day?" Scott nodded. "Well, Sasha's cousin Manuel was there and he said he saw Tyler getting pretty close to Lacey. You know how vulnerable she is now that she and Archie broke up, right? Well, Manuel said she didn't look happy about it, but Tyler didn't care. And then later he saw Lacey sitting out back crying. I think he must have done something to upset her. Well, that's the rumor anyway. Lacey says she can't talk about it. So I thought you could maybe ask Tyler if what I heard is true, so he could set the record straight. I wouldn't want a friend of yours to have his reputation ruined over something that's not true. But if it is true…"

"I got it. I'll talk to him."

"And you won't tell Archie?"

"Not a word," he promised. "Thanks for letting me know," he said and jogged over to the locker rooms.

Sarita smiled and sent a text to Jana who would be hitching a ride to school with her number one frenemy.

The Lewis' were about to have a really bad day. Now, all she had to do was sit back and let it play out.

.~.

* * *

I'm ashamed to admit that I let myself get carried away last night and it got a little too heated between Jo and myself. At the same time I know it needed to happen. Sure, last night wasn't perfect, but it was an embarrassing eye opener for all three of us. Well, maybe I was the only one embarrassed, but the light of day after the dispute has made me realize that we need to talk. I realized after the second, more embarrassing emotional display in the car with Danny, that I wasn't really angry with Jo. Well, that's not quite true. What I mean is that I wasn't only angry with Jo. I've been angry at myself and blaming her last night for my irritations and frustrations was just convenient for me and ill timed for her.

Anyway, I need to find her and let her know that I didn't exactly mean everything I said the way it sounded. I'm not one hundred percent sure I know what I meant to say or how I'll explain it to her when I see her, but I just need to get it over with and off my chest. Especially since I promised myself last night, that there would be no more tears shed by me over this bull. I also promised myself that there would be no more unintended angry outbursts. From now on I'm going to keep a cool and clear head.

"What the…" I say spotting Phoebe standing at the end of the hallway frantically shaking her head. Several pairs of eagerly glittering eyes turn to me in apologetic anticipation. I continue moving forward and find myself on the cusp of yelling at everyone to stop staring at me as if Regina just died all over again.

What the hell is going on? Before I can charge over to ask Phoebe what's happening there's a loud yell from behind me. "Fight!"

I quickly press myself up against the wall of lockers to avoid any wayward fists before turning to watch the fallout. To my surprise I see Archie straddling Phoebe's brother Tyler, ramming his fist into his face.

"Archie!" I yell, but can't be heard over the bloodthirsty crowd of onlookers. "What's going on?" I ask stepping closer to the gathering circle of people.

"The one with the fuzz got caught bumping uglies with the jock's girlfriend," a curly haired light-skinned teen with glasses answers.

"I heard he tried to take naked photos of her. I makes sense since he's in the AV club," a chubby female student adds tugging on the end of her thick plait.

"No way. He tried to get his sister to rufie the girl, but she grew a conscious and told the girl's boyfriend instead," a taller boy asserts, very sure of himself until he tacks on, "At least that's what I heard."

"That doesn't even make sense. Why would he try that after inviting so many people to that party?" the first kid with glasses complains. I step away from the crowd as the fight is broken up and the students in front of me continue to argue.

"I think it'll work," a soft voice whispers in my ear.

"Sarita?" I gasp. Her words finally click when I take in her huge grin. "What did you do?"

With an evil smirk she replies, "I told you I had your back, Lace. I never said anything to Archie. I just asked Scott a question."

"I didn't ask you to have him beat up," I hiss. "This is not what I wanted."

"It's not what I wanted either, but it's just the way things worked out," she shrugs as if this were a side effect that she couldn't care less about. I turn my back to her and see the dispersing students still hyped up by the adrenaline-scented air in the aftermath of the fight. On the other side of the hall I see Danny watching at me. His eyes quickly travel over me and he nods at me as if he's asking if I'm ok. I return a slight nod in affirmation before turning to face Sarita again.

"If you have anything else planned, please call it off. I don't want to be the cause for anyone to get hurt, Sarita. Understand?"

"Yeah," she nods, surprised. "There's nothing else, Lace. I didn't think this would upset you so much. I'm sorry."

"I thought you knew me better than that. I thought I knew you better than that. Just…" I shake my head at a loss. I turn back to the spot where Phoebe was standing just a minute ago. "Have you seen Phoebe?" There is a flash of anger in Sarita's eyes for the briefest of seconds, but it's vanished before I can blink. Unsure, if I just imagined it, I carefully watch my friend as I say, "What exactly did you do, Sarita? What was the question you asked Scott?"

She doesn't blink, but I notice the movement in her throat when she swallows. "I asked him to ask Tyler if the rumor was true." She swallows again and I can almost hear it.

"What rumor, Sarita?"

She takes a breath, smiles and puffs up her chest in false confidence. "That he upset you at the party. Maybe Scott inferred how he could have upset you, but I promise I never said anything else. People only hear what they wanna hear."

"Then why was Phoebe so upset when I saw her earlier?"

"You'd have to ask her. I honestly don't even know how all the other rumors got started, but I am impressed with the speed of gossip."

I walk away when she starts chuckling to herself proud of the mess she's made.

.~.

* * *

The hallways are clearing up and I no longer feel like heading to the cafeteria for lunch so I head to my locker instead, planning to go off campus for something quick to eat. I round the corner and before I know it, I'm being dragged into a small dark room. I hear the click of the door and a moment later an overhead light shines down on me.

"Danny?"

He smiles shyly and pulls me in for a hug. "Are you okay?"

I want to be mad at him for dragging me into this room in the middle of the school day, but the concern in his voice stops me from voicing my irritation. I briefly hug him back and then pull myself out of the embrace. "What are you doing? What if someone saw us?"

"Nobody saw. I waited till the coast was clear."

I sigh and clutch the strap of my bag.

"Hey, I just wanted to see how you were doing?"

"I'm fine, Danny. I can't be in here with you right now," I whisper.

My nerves are on edge and the adrenaline spike from being pulled into the maintenance closet is making me antsy.

"What was that about anyway? The fight."

My laugh is soft and mirthless. "Sarita. She thought she was helping me and I guess you saw the results of that help." I bite my lip and look towards the door when a shadow appears in the opaque window.

"I really have to go, Danny. Can we talk about this tonight?"

He frowns and I squeeze the strap of my bag tighter. "Yeah," I hear him whisper as I sidestep around him and exit the room.

I almost trip over myself to avoid a student charging down the hall. He groans as he hops around to avoid me and our eyes lock.

I stare at the fuzzy headed blond student glaring at me with a fat, busted lip and a swollen left eye. He grimaces, but I think he's trying to smirk at me. Suddenly, I'm caught in an indecisive loop as my brain whittles away his expression trying to carve some meaning from it other than severe dislike, but there's no other meaning to be had.

After a long span of heartbeats I speak. "I didn't tell Archie to do that to you."

"Sure, you didn't. And I didn't just see you coming out of the maintenance closet. Who you got in there, Lacey?"

"No one," I say loudly, appalled. I'm hoping Danny hears me and stays hidden. "I just needed a quiet place to think for a minute. That's my spot, okay?"

"If you say so," he replies skeptically.

"Whatever. I don't need to explain myself to you, Tyler. Just…I hope you feel better soon." I almost sound like I genuinely mean it, but it's clear that he doesn't care. Which is fine since I don't care that he doesn't believe me. Shaking my head I try to confidently walk down the hallway towards my locker, fingers crossed that he doesn't feel the need to open the door and see what's behind it for himself. I let out a sigh of relief when I hear his footsteps continue in the opposite direction and the building doors groan as they're opened a moment later.

The sense of relief is short lived. After grabbing what I need for my next class I shut the locker and am greeted by an icy blue blonde. "Can we talk?" she asks, taking the words right out of my head.


End file.
